Users: July 1-7th

[maxlharris]

I lifted weights today. Same routine, less rest.

DB Step Up - 3 sets, 15 reps/leg, 60 lbs, alternated w/
DB Press - 3 sets, 15 reps, 50 lbs *new high, and boy am I not loving it.

Goblet squat - 3 sets, 15 reps, 60 lbs, alternated w/
DB pull over - 3 sets, 15 reps, 40 lbs

Plank - 1 rep, 60 seconds

A word on the Goblet squat. If you are not sure if you are squatting properly, this is a great exercise to help you figure out your form. Better than great. Am going deeper into the squat, and moving it the right way. Can really feel it in the hips and quads.

Any rate, here's a link to instruction (it's about halfway down the page)
http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article.do?site=MensHealth&channel=weight.loss&category=transform.2007&conitem=08a11d8690fd2110VgnVCM20000012281eac____&page=3

[gator8me]

Max~ How far down can you get? Checked it out, I won't be doing it! lol My knee would refuse. hahahaaa

MY EXERCISE DAY~
Today was a cardio only day. I rode the bike for 40 min! yey me!

Tomorrow will be a total body day. :D
Ally

[maxlharris]

I am not gifted with a lot of knee, hip or ankle (or anything) flexion. But I go to at least the top of the thigh being perpendicular to the floor. With time and practice, you get better. It's taken me a lot of reps to get down to here. Amazing what a little disuse of the body will do to it.

Tomorrow: Intervals. 30/90. I'm on it.

[gator8me]

I have issues with one of my knees that limits the types of exercises I can do. Its not just a matter of disuse.

[Ottawa]

Less than two weeks left before surgery so I am working out almost every day to make up for the time off. After the surgery strenuous exercise is out for two weeks so this is my prep. The next two weeks are back to basics, "on plan eating" with a full vitamin barrage and continuous workouts. The hospitalization is 2-3 days with Antibiotics/Percocets until I'm back to normal.

Sunday: Set of 100's (100 each Situps/handweight curls 30's/legweight lifts 20's and rotational abs with 25lb. ball) Takes just over an hour.
Monday: 1 hour fast walk 20 minutes bench weights later
Tuesday: Volleyball
Wednesday: Lunchtime Volleyball - Baseball rained out - Full set of Abs work/rotations
Thursday: Volleyball and 100's in evening focusing on rotational abs
Friday: Day Off
Saturday: Day off

[maxlharris]

Biking today: Intervals. 30 on, 90 off. 6 reps. I got the RPM up to 200 on my first sprint. Was surprised enough to nearly fall off the bike.

Tomorrow, have to figure something. Gym at work is closed (as is work) so will maybe improvise something at home. I think I'm set to do most of what I would do. Just have to figure the logistics.

[gator8me]

7.3.07
Formal exercise done for today.. unformal exercise will include mopping my floors and mowing the lawn!

Cardio ~ Arc trainer for 20min
Upper body ~ Chest Press, Eagle Row, Shoulder Press, Bi Curls, Tri press (3x12 on all)
Lower body ~ Arc trainer, inner and outer thigh machine, abs 3x12 on everything here as well.

gym is closed tomorrwo but no biggie as it is an only cardio day. :)

[Mitra]

I generally do a slightly different version of the squat - keeping my feet closer together and parallel (obviously, doing it that way you have to keep your arms outside your legs). The way I've been taught in yoga is that the classical form of the posture is to have your feet together, but having them slightly apart gives a bit more stability, and if you're female, keeps your legs aligned under your hips.

[maxlharris]

I have done more variations of squat in the past year than I knew off. Split squats, goblet squats, sumo squats, front squats, curtsy lunges(it's a squat), uneven squats, one leg squats (variety).

Of them all, the wide stance ones are my favs. I think it's the easiest form, for me at least. Goblet and Sumo.

[Mitra]

I've always thought of the wide leg versions as being a way to modify the posture to make it easier - using it in yoga. If your main concern is lifting weights, or for example, for pregnant women, it would also make sense to do it that way. I'm not pregnant, or lifting weights, so I'll keep my feet together ;). I'm being a bit cautious with it at the moment, because it's very easy to stretch the lower back. Normally that's quite useful, but just now I'd rather not! I've got it in the more challenging of my two yoga practices, but the more protective one just uses the half-squat (chair position) to avoid over-stretching.

[maxlharris]

To each his/her own with squatting. (feet together is a lot harder for me to keep posture, but I'm working on it)

Today, intervals. 60 second sprints. 180 second rests. 4 sprints. Glad to do it. Tired like all get out. Have been having all kinds of sleep problems. Tension. Shoulder pain. Midnight plumbing noises. Trips to see fireworks. I will be amazed if I get 8 hours of sleep on any pre-work night this week. Something has got to give, I fear.

[gator8me]

7.5.07
Not been to the gym yet today, will do that this afternoon as that is when my workout partner will be off work. :)

Yesterday gym wasn't open but I got PLENTY of exercise! lol We cleaned and put up the pool in the backyard. Its one of those 18x4 pools with the inflatable rim. What a job!

[Mitra]

I feel like a total hostage to my hormones :mad: . The yoga practice I've been doing for the last couple of weeks, that I had to do very gently and cautiously, even up to yesterday, was suddenly easy :rolleyes:. Of course, I'm pleased that my back feels more stable, and that I'll be able to do some harder work for a while, but I don't like being reminded that I'm not in control here :angry: . I suppose that accepting reality is closer to what yoga is about than whether you can do a particular posture or not, but I don't have to like it ;).

[Ottawa]

I feel like a total hostage to my hormones :mad: . The yoga practice I've been doing for the last couple of weeks, that I had to do very gently and cautiously, even up to yesterday, was suddenly easy :rolleyes:. Of course, I'm pleased that my back feels more stable, and that I'll be able to do some harder work for a while, but I don't like being reminded that I'm not in control here :angry: . I suppose that accepting reality is closer to what yoga is about than whether you can do a particular posture or not, but I don't have to like it ;).

While I don't have the hormone issue I sometimes feel a hostage to time. We are all travelling down the road of mortality and I notice that my return to form, regardless of the exercise, take longer or includes a little more discomfort, year by year.
These reminders show how mortal we are and will always try to keep very active since I know the cost of inactivity which I associate with my former carby, sedentary ways. I definitely don't accept the "regular reality" of losing out to time and hope to delay this as long as I can through pushing myself or finding limited alternatives wherever I can.

BTW: My wife loves the Tens machine (Dr Ho's double massage system) and although it did not eliminate back pain, it relaxes the muscles which were knotted up. We went to see the new "Die Hard" movie Saturday morning and she used it while watching since it about the size of a deck of cards and runs for months on a few AAA batteries.

[Mitra]

You're right, Randy - there are lots of things we can't control. I notice that now if I overbalance or make some sudden unplanned kind of movement, it really jars, whereas when I was younger I'd barely notice. I don't know why it is that I find the up and downs that relate to hormones so much more frustrating, when really it's all part of the same big picture. And our strength and health is limited by the construction of the human body, and our own physique and history as well as whatever stuff is going on at the moment. Maybe it's time for me to stop thinking about it and get back to exercising for a couple of weeks, while I can ;). Holding off the restriction of old age and immobility is important to me, too, and one of the things that motivates me to exercise (that, and fear of Shadow coming back to find me all lazy and out of condition :eek:).

I've only really heard of the Tens machine in relation to childbirth, but I can see it would be useful for other kinds of pain too. I've been lucky that even at its worst, my back was only painful if I tried to use it (at that point, standing up or walking counted as using it, but as long as I was lying down it didn't hurt at all - unless I tried something athletic like turning over :rolleyes:) so although I've been limited in what I can do, I haven't needed a lot of pain relief - a couple of over the counter painkillers at bed time, and only for two to three of the worst days. Other than that, it's not painful - as long as I'm very careful.

[maxlharris]

Got to gym at 6:45, gym had sign. No showers or sinks due to maintenance. Asked trainer, on the off chance. He said, they're coming at 7:30. So, I followed Paula Abdul's advice and went "Rush, Rush, Hurry Hurry Baby." Decided, would cut rest to absolute minimum between sets. Since I do alternating sets right now, can really cut it to zero I think. I dropped the weight load a bit to compensate for circuitizing my alternating sets.

Got done. Got in the shower and out by 7:20. Out of the gym by 7:30.

All Right, hold tight, I'm a highway star!!!!

Next week, new workout. Must assemble the stuff I need for it (exercise descriptions in a useful format) today!

Rock on folks. Use it!

[gator8me]

7.5.07
Was late doing it but made it to the gym for my exercise.
20 min on bike for cardio
Total body workout...
Upper body ~ Chest Press, Eagle Row, Shoulder Press, Bi Curls, Tri press (3x15 on all)
Lower body ~ Arc trainer, inner and outer thigh machine, abs 3x15 on everything here as well.

Getting ready to leave the house for my Cardio day...

[gator8me]

7.6.07
Got up this morning and did my Cardio.. 45 min on bike doing intervals on LV6. Made me sweat! yeah!

Went home and 30 min later brought mom to do the water flex class. I am taking the class with her but mostly I end up walking around and help mom keep her balance. She really enjoys it and its nice having something we can do together that is OUT OF THE HOUSE! :)

thats it for me today.. not bad :)

[gator8me]

7.7.07
Anyone else use it today? Here's what I did...

Cardio ~ Arc trainer for 20min
( did a little added cardio/legs on the bike while waiting for ashley to finish her legs)
Upper body ~ Chest Press, Eagle Row, Shoulder Press, Bi Curls, Tri press (3x15 on all)
Lower body ~ Arc trainer, inner and outer thigh machine, abs 3x15 on everything here as well.

Tomorrow I take OFF! :D