Weekly Feature: What did you do?

[cereta]

You know the drill!

Comments

[rydra_wong]

Push-ups. Lots and lots of push-ups.

*groans*

[cereta]

Ditto, only planks. I managed 3 60-second elbow planks on Tuesday and Wednesday, but after failing spectacularly even to do a second one yesterday, I'm wondering if a rest might be in order. Or, it could have just been that it was later in the day, and hotter, and I slipped more.

[laurashapiro]

Go you!

[rydra_wong]

P.S. Also, there was climbing. There is always climbing. But that gets categorized in a different file in my brain.

[ex_wicker969]

This would be the "this is the most amazing thing in the world omg I have finally found my sport!" file?

It's so thinky and technical and leaves me just wiped out at the end. You're partly to blame, you know, writing all those "go rock climb!" things.

[rydra_wong]

*beams*

Were you climbing before, or have you just started? I want to hear all about it!

[ex_wicker969]

I climbed once my freshman year of college, took a class and got an A and really liked it, but I've been intimidated. There's a rock wall in my new (student) gym so I'm using it as an excuse to get me to the gym. I'm actively climbing about four days a week, two of those seriously and two of those just like "oh, I'll fall off now" because of my other workouts. But I really, really, really love it!

I'm still scared of heights but that's fading as I get more confident, and every week I go back to a particular route to see how my attitude's changed and it's really cool - lots more holds that seemed like SRSLY WUT are now options. I just go up as high as I feel comfortable but that's getting higher. I'm reliably good on VBs and V0s but really stuck as far as V1s go, mostly because I don't have anyone to show me technique (I'll be showing on the bouldering newbie days in fall term) and I just can't hold myself against the wall (our V1s are all at an angle - is that usual?). I have faith in my mats :D

On the hugely plus side, it's got me to kick my soda and Starbucks habits and hit the gym to lift and run, so I feel really awesome these past couple weeks. They're gonna re-place all the routes when fall term starts but I'm hoping they keep a particular traverse... *inspects newly-regained muscles* eeee! :D

I'm a little terrified that I'll lose my nerve when fall term starts and a bajillion people come back into the gym, but I think I like it enough (I need my brainy thinky muscley fix) to sneak in at odd off-hours until I feel comfortable with other people around.

THERE I wrote you a novel. I have no one else to squee to!

[rydra_wong]

THERE I wrote you a novel. I have no one else to squee to!

YAY PEOPLE WRITING NOVEL-LENGTH POSTS ABOUT CLIMBING FOR ME! But you should also post this to disobey_gravity -- there are people there who'd want to squee with you too!

And I'd love to see more squee-age in that comm; I think it's at that awkward stage where it's not quite busy enough to encourage people to jump in.

lots more holds that seemed like SRSLY WUT are now options

I love that so much. Especially when I realize my fingers have undergone one of their periodic upgrades.

our V1s are all at an angle - is that usual?

Not really -- difficulty shouldn't just be about "smaller holds and steeper walls".

At the wall I climb at, I've seen up to V5 on the slab alone. Though they'll also set stuff on the steepest overhangs and call it V0, because they're bastards like that *g*.

I think I like it enough (I need my brainy thinky muscley fix) to sneak in at odd off-hours until I feel comfortable with other people around.

That worked for me as a strategy!

mostly because I don't have anyone to show me technique

I can rec some books/DVDs if that'd be of any interest.

[zennish]

Yay push-ups!

[laurashapiro]

I went to Vividcon! And didn't lift a damn thing! Then I came back and collapsed!

But made it to the gym twice since I've been back. Apparently even missing a few days sets me back a lot -- I had to decrease weight and/or reps on practically everything. ::sulk::

Still can plank for 30 seconds though!

[cereta]

Yay, plank-sister!

[laurashapiro]

::high-fives::

[ex_wicker969]

I can't plank for that! I found out this week. I can plank for like ... ten seconds. And it's bad form. So I'm gonna do more of 'em! *cheers*

[laurashapiro]

I should probably be looking at my form, now that you mention it...

[ex_wicker969]

I thought I was doing them right but then I looked in the mirror and my back was all bent and my hips were up. Practice makes perfect. I think I did these Tuesday and my abs STILL hurt.

[cereta]

I'm "lucky" in that my back lets me know when it's straight. Hurts, but at least I know my form is good.

[laurashapiro]

Yeah, my gym's stretching area is not near a mirror, so it takes extra effort to remember to grab one of the portable mats and put it somewhere where I can actually see myself. Thanks for the suggestion, though; it's entirely possible I'm Doing It Rong.

[ex_wicker969]

A hundred pounds for two sets of eight on the lat pull-downs! And then ninety for ten reps. And I'm continuing with my upper body workouts but A HUNDRED POUNDS. I was so thrilled!

Started doing planks after a core class ran us through them so I think I'm gonna incorporate them. I'm thinking this is necessary mostly because I'm so bad at them :D

[sophiap]

100 lbs? That is awesome!

[ex_wicker969]

Is it? I've been kind of asking people this week what they can lift to see whether it's typical or what. I want to be able to do pullups but I weigh 200 lbs so I've got a ways to go. Nobody know show much they can do, though, and I don't ever really tell 'em why I want to know. :P

[sophiap]

I'm doing four sets of four at 87.5, and seem to be stuck there. Every time I slip the half-plate on top of the stack because the current weight is starting to seem simple, my shoulders laugh at me.

[ex_wicker969]

Oooh, good to know. My machine jumps from 10-lb increments to 20-lb increments at 100lbs so I've got to go find a half-weight to put on it. Good luck! I'd like to hear when you hit 100. I've got faith :D

[sophinisba]

I moved to a new apartment! Lifted lots of boxes and also some furniture! I also went climbing last Friday night and am considering lifting some dumbbells this afternoon.

[rydra_wong]

Yay climbing! Yay lifting things!

[zennish]

Did a half-Kelly workout - 30 wall balls, 30 box jumps, 400m run, repeat 3x for time - and it was ridiculously painful, partially because I was getting so tired I wouldn't catch the ball and it'd hit me in the face on the way down. Think I have to start doing more upper-body work, or something, or start intervals with jump rope and burpees or whatever.

Went climbing! Fell off a V2. Did a sad panda face. Could not even get half way up project V4. You miss climbing for two weeks and your forearm muscles skedaddle off to Hawaii. Poot.

[supermouse]

I'm getting pretty good at using small bursts of energy to exercise, while flat on my back and without moving my head. I've got an elastic X-shaped thingy with handles, and I spent time on that three times this last week, as well as some time pitting muscles against other muscles.

[sophiap]

I'm proud of myself for making it to the gym twice even though I had the work week from HELL.

I started doing speed drills on the dumbbell snatch (really felt it), and also did a whole bunch of bodyweight (well, bodyweight + 1 broomstick) overhead squats. Mother of pearl, those got my legs and my lower back. In a good way.

[zennish]

Overhead squats = killer. Those things mock your shoulders, holy crap.

Go you! :D

[sophiap]

Even with just the broomstick, I really felt it in my shoulder the next day. It was a good kind of ow, though.

One thing I really liked about the OH squats is that you cannot 'cheat' on form at all. I have a tendency to pitch forwards on my other squats but that was so not an option on these.