Here's my training log. My BFF has inspired me to get into better shape. I'm so proud of DirtyMartini - she is so physically fit after a long journey of weight loss. My behaviour used to inspire her to be in better shape and now she is inspiring me. That's the best!
Since I've been in high school I've exercised, but it's only in the past 5 years that I seem to be fluxuating in weight (or should I say fat). It's also in the past four years that my schedule has been more erratic as I've been self employed for the past four years. I've always been undisciplined, but I started a journey about three years ago, not just physically but mentally, to be a more disciplined person, to find continuity. As a self-employed person, continuity is almost non-existent. I've no problem with change and get bored (hence self-employment works for me), but I'm realizing that perhaps it's not so great for my health.
Last summer I did the Joffre Lakes hike past Pemberton, BC. It was so hard for me and going through the boulder fields, I started crying, wondering how in the world I was going to make it back. I was with people who were all physically fitter than me. But my boyfriend was there and he always supports me and was there to take me through it. At one point he came back to get me, asked me if I was ok, and all I could manage was "Fine." I was crying, struggling, and then said "I just need to calm down. I'll be ok." I made it back - first to arrive back at the carpark! I was so sore when I got back that night that I had to sit in an ice bath.
That night I realized that I was really proud of myself for finishing that hike and I wanted to more. Good sign! We recently did the West Highland Way in Scotland, a 95 mile walk (one that DirtyMartini did a while ago, that's how I knew about it). In January, my boyfriend and I did a 3 day kayaking trip in Patagonia.
My boyfriend and I are DINKs and save our money for travel. We've got a small two bedroom place in Greater Vancouver and keep our expenses low. That said, I always gain weight when I travel. In Argentina I gained 5lbs that I never took off; same goes for Scotland.
So I've basically got 10lbs of fat on my body. I took my starting photos the other day and realized just how much body fat I had.
I started the NROW4W yesterday. I'm not too concerned about my measurements - they are what they are. I'll be able to tell the difference in my pictures and clothing and body perception.
I'm a member of the YWCA in Vancouver - it's a fantastic gym. I've done weight lifting before and had a personal trainer. Some of the moves are similar to NROW4W, but some of them were unhelpful. And I didn't have goals. The Y has a women's only weight room, which I prefer if only for the reason that there are rarely women in it! I don't mind going into the co-ed weight room. (Once, there were three men in there and one of the men told another man that he was "lifting weights like a girl." I was standing right there, so I turned to him and said "Hello. I'm standing right here." Dude, this is the yWca! Only problem I ever had.) This gym has an ozonated pool, spinning classes, yoga and cardio classes, etc. etc. I like going to the gym, so going isn't a problem. I've been a member since October 2007 and, except when I've gone on vacation, I've used my membership at 2-4/week.
So, I exercise, but have never had goals and my nutrition isn't that great. My meals are ok, I always eat breakfast, but my snacks are killer. Used to be chips, cookies, candy, anything with chocolate.
My goals:
Do Joffre Lakes hike next summer and enjoy it!
Keep a journal
Plan for the week and take it one day at a time.
Learn about nutrition - something different every week.
Weight: 128lbs
Height: 5' 1.5"
Measurements: unknown for hips, waist, chest, arms. Not tracking because my goal is to be as healthy as possible, my body is what it is. My pictures will tell the tale!
Stage 1, workout A1:
Squat: 30lbs/15 reps, x 2, could have done a few more, increase weight for second set next time
Pushup: BW/14 reps, x 2, was tired
Seated row: 32lbs, 15 reps, x 2, could have done about 5-6 more, increase weight for both sets next time.
Step-up: 30lbs/15 reps, x 2, was tired
Prone jackknife: BW/15 reps, x 2, was tired
Thanks. I am trying to pace myself. I've been such an all or nothing person - that's why I'm happy with not changing my food for now. I figure I'll get settled in and then see where things go!
Woo woo!! Welcome to NROL land. Nicely done on the push-ups and the step-ups. Those were SO hard when I started, and you're already doing push-ups on the floor. Show off.
I love your food calendar! I might steal that idea. I've been doing fit day but I like your idea a bit better... less work. (me, lazy?)
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"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
My hamstrings are sore today, so that's a good sign because I know my hamstrings are weaker than my quads - my quads are at least 50% stronger than my hamstrings.
I played 3 hours of non-stop ultimate last night! I had to have two protein drinks.
I'm not tracking calories, but I feel like I'm eating enough. I think I would feel it if I wasn't having enough: lacking in energy, negative mood. I'm tired today, but only physically. Mentally I'm ok. Still eating well!
Oh yeah, and I use google calendar all day. I have two calendars: one for food, one for work. My food calendar is public, that's how I was able to provide a link. Just another google product that rocks (don't worry, some day they'll be the next microsoft). oh yes, and an american court has said they need to hand over all their YouTube info...
Thought: Was reading a Weight Watchers profile of a woman who has lost 200 lbs and kept it off. She says that she really liked her bad habits of eating, foods tasted good, so she knew to continue on her new path, she had to like her good habits of eating. She experimented with different recipes to come up with new variations of oldie-but-bad recipes.
Day 3 - July 9 2008:
Had a great food day yesterday. I wanted to have a glass of wine, I poured myself one, but it wasn't good, tasted a bit carbonated, so I didn't have that. I always feel like having a glass of wine on Tuesday. Maybe I should get those single serving bottles. Was quite tired yesterday, my knee and foot hurt, but I iced my knee and foot yesterday, took ibuprofen and slept like a log. I feel much better today.
Talked with Sharon, my sister in law, about fitness and then she asked me questions about religion (my degree is in comparative religion). She said "variety is the key." She did physiology in school before switching to computer science.
I went for a walk with Chris when I got home and we did stretching on the grass at the park. It was his idea, it was a great idea. Made me feel better. He's the most inflexible man ever.
Hi! Welcome to the world of logging! Good luck with your goals. I'm jealous of all the traveling and love your side of Canada! A few years ago, we spent 11 days on Vancouver Island. Was amazing.
I LOVE Vancouver, BC is so beautiful. I thought it was more beautiful than Patagonia. I suppose because it's so accessible. Vancouver Island is super nice. Super, natural... As the slogan goes.
Wide Grip Lat Pulldown: 2 sets/15 reps/ 40lbs, 50lbs, approximately (on the machine, pulled at 4 slats and then 5 slats - machine has no conversion chart.) Could have pulled more on the first set. Second set was enough
Lunge: 2 sets/15 reps/20lbs (two dumbbells of 20lbs each). could have done some more, but knee was hurting.
Swiss ball crunch: 2 sets/15 reps. surprisingly, i was quite shaky doing these.
Must find out how to indicate weights in my log...
Wide Grip Lat Pulldown: 2 sets/15 reps/ 40lbs, 50lbs, approximately (on the machine, pulled at 4 slats and then 5 slats - machine has no conversion chart.) Could have pulled more on the first set. Second set was enough
Lunge: 2 sets/15 reps/20lbs (two dumbbells of 20lbs each). could have done some more, but knee was hurting.
Swiss ball crunch: 2 sets/15 reps. surprisingly, i was quite shaky doing these.
Must find out how to indicate weights in my log...
Here's one way:
Deadlift:
15x20
15x30
15x40
DB Shoulder Press
15x10's
15x10's
Lat Pulldown
15x40
15x50
Lunge
15x20's each leg
15x20's each leg
(That's amazingly good, by the way!)
Lunge
15x20's each leg
15x20's each leg
(That's amazingly good, by the way!)
One of my favourite activities is cycling, which might explain the leg strength! Thanks for saying that it's good, since I really have no perspective. I need to get into other people's logs more...
Ha! When I started, I couldn't even get through my 15 reps on each leg with just body weight! It was a real struggle building up to 20's for me, let me tell you! A LONG time!
And, now that you've said that, I'll bet you can do a lot more weight for your deads and squats than you think.
Yes, I think I can do more. I did the deads with 30, then did it with 40, and thought that next time i should do 40 then 50. for the squats, i'm going to up the weight on friday for the A2 workout. i had a personal trainer who recommended weights, so i sort of started there. although i thought i'd have to start lower, i think i can go higher, at least for the legs. the arms are a different matter! :-)
I like the way missjane posts her logs. That way, if you have 3 sets of 15 reps but you use different weights on your sets, it's easy to see.
Alternately, if you do 3 sets of 15 reps and lift 50 pounds for every rep of every set, you can say 3x15x50.
And if you do an exercise with 20-pound dumbbells in each hand, you can post your exercise as, say, 3x15x20e.
Also remember that if you're using one of the big barbells (the olympic ones), they weigh 45 pounds - don't forget to include that in your weight. So if you put a 10-pound plate on each end of the barbell, that'd be recorded as 65 pounds, or 3x15x65 (if you did 3 sets of 15 reps). Some of the bars are smaller, though, so it's good to know which one you're using.
Does that help?
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"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
I also agree you can go heavier! I can't remember if it's in the book, but a rule of thumb I have seen at least on here is that if you could continue doing your set with 2 more reps without losing form, you need to increase the weight you're lifting. So if you get to 15 deadlifts and feel like you could go to 17, add another 10 (or more) pounds to that bar, woman. Add more weight until the last 2 reps in your set suck and you feel like you couldn't lift that bar again without changing your form.
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
Ok! Yay! Heavier!
So, tell me, how do you know how much one of those slats on the machines are, if there's no conversion factor? For the wide lat pull downs, I wasn't sure how much I was pulling... I just know the number for the slat.
good question. So the slats are just numbered like 1,2,3,4....? They might just be 10-pound weights. I would guess you're doing 40 and 50 pounds - that sounds about right. But, really, all weight IS really is a point of reference. So you might lift plate 5 this time and plate 6 next time. That's progress, and that's all that counts.
You might also consider this:
Quote:
Using a weight-stack gym machine has several advantages. It looks and feels more like models you find in gyms, a definite plus for those who have lifted in the health-club setting. Weight stacks give you a point of reference; non-weight-stack models may turn them off because of their different feel.
Also they let you know exactly how much you are lifting. Many non-weight-stack multi gmys make you guess at the amount, making it difficult to track progress. Be advised, though, that lifting 100 pounds on one multigym machine may not feel the same as lifting the same amount on another.
The different pulley systems on the various models often cause the actual amount you are lifting to vary slightly. many of the manufacturers have transformed their multi gyms in the past few years to address this. Changes include protective shrouds over the weight, ergonomically sound seats, the ability to accommodate large differences in body size and easier changes from one weight to another.
So even when stacks do have measurements on them, they're not always accurate or even comparable to other stacks (double-pulleys can often make you think you're lifting twice what you are). So, I wouldn't stress about how much you're lifting in pounds. Just how often you're making changes/improvements.
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"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
Ok! Yay! Heavier!
So, tell me, how do you know how much one of those slats on the machines are, if there's no conversion factor? For the wide lat pull downs, I wasn't sure how much I was pulling... I just know the number for the slat.
For some they're 10 pounds, some 15, some even 20. Is a pain in the butt that our gym has some of those too. I don't know, without going to see if the manufacturer lists it on it's site, what they might be.
But then again, if it's a pulley system, you're not truly lifting all of what was marked anyway, most likely (if they mark the actual weight, versus the force you need to apply to move it).
Nice job on the snacks this week (took a look at your google calendar).
Watch those dried fruits though - they pack in a lot of sugar (and therefore a lot of calories) and not all of the nutrition in whole, fresh fruit. You might look at replacing dried with fresh at your leisure.
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"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
Yeah, dried fruits are I know are killer. I'm not particularly fond of raisins and craisins, so I only got about 1/2 c each from the bulk section. Dried mango must have a sugar coating. I love it. Hee hee. It was an idea... I've got to find a better place for nuts cuz the ones I got aren't very crunchy.
My snacks are pretty good! Yesterday I had a peanut butter chocolate chip cookie - just ONE - and it was sooo yummy. I ate it slowly, savoured it all. I wanted to have a drinky-poo when I got home, but I did not cuz I had the cookie.
Day 4 - July 10 2008
Yesterday I did stage 1 workout b1 and was told that i could lift more. Today, my body isn't sore - maybe my butt muscles are a bit sore, or they might be a bit tight instead of sore. My triceps are sore from the lat pull down. I'll increase the weight on the squats, dead lifts, lunges. I'll also increase it on the lat pull down since the first set was easy. Second set was definitely more difficult. Also increase for the step up and seated row.
I cycled to work today. 16km, took 1 hour with the traffic lights. It wasn't a great ride in as I went on the major diagonal road and it has a bunch of lights. I don't mind riding in traffic: the trick is to take up space. Don't be a wilting flower... My knee only hurt a bit, felt funny most of the time. Wish I had an ice pack. I'm going to physio today.
Tonight I have a bbq to go to and I think I'll get a bottle of wine to share and I'll have two glasses. Maybe one. Maybe one big one. Heh. This would take the place of my drinking for Friday night. Saturday we're going to dinner and a show, so I'll have a glass or two at dinner. Friday and Saturday are my drinking nights, although I'm beginning to see that this is just another habit/expectation.
Squat:
40lbs/15 reps
50lbs/15 reps
Could have done more, increase by 10lbs each next time
Pushup:
On a step/14 reps
On a dancer's bar/15 reps
Was tired, but tried to do proper form instead of on the floor (and extending my neck to get my nose to the floor!)
Seated row:
9 slats/15 reps (41lbs?)
10 slats/15 reps (45lbs?)
Increase weight for both sets next time, try 10/11
Step-up:
40lbs/15 reps
50lbs/15 reps
Was tired on second set, try 50/50 next time.
Prone jackknife:
BW/15 reps
BW/15 reps
Forgot my sneakers with orthotics, so used my old sneakers w/o any inserts! Not even the ones that came with the shoes.
Asked a guy in the weight room how to use the olympic bar, he explained it. Why?
BECAUSE I HAVE GRADUATED FROM THE WOMEN'S WEIGHT ROOM. THEY DO NOT HAVE HEAVY ENOUGH WEIGHTS FOR ME.
The Adventures of the Notorious Teeseepoo
. Why does it always end in a flabby butt? (at least for me.)
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