tips for setting motivational goals with bodyweight exercises?

[ratcreature]

I suffered from some nasty lower back/sciatic nerve pain during the last months. Both my primary care physician as well as the orthopedic specialist thought that there isn't anything particular wrong with my back (like a disc injury or such), but that it was the unspecific kind of back pain due to weak muscles, bad posture, being too sedentary etc. and that it ought to improve with exercise.

So I had about a dozen physical therapy sessions, also took a class for back pain exercises, and thankfully my pain got indeed better, albeit with ups and downs. But of course I should keep doing the exercises to remain pain free, yet the ultimate goal of "I want the pain to not come back" alone isn't great to sustain motivation for me. It's too general and doesn't really offer any accomplishments to work toward and such.

Because the exercises I learned are basically a mix of bodyweight strength exercises, balance exercises and stretches, I figure that I should be able to use the strength exercises to measure progress somehow for motivation. I enjoy tracking things, but I'm not sure how to go about it with exercising.

I mean, I have noticed some progress with exercises becoming easier, so I can manage more repetitions, and sometimes when there were different versions I can now even do the more difficult exercise than just the easiest kind (though overall my fitness level is still pretty bad, like for example I can't manage any push-ups, not even the easier kind where you are on your knees rather than toes, but am still at the level where you push against a wall). But I'd like to properly track things and have a couple of realistic, concrete goals so I see improvements.

I tried looking at the bodyweight strength training books in my library to get an idea for how this is usually done, but I have to admit that the books I found were all rather off-putting. Like the ones aimed at women all seemed to be a horrible assemblage of body image and weight loss issues, and the ones aimed more towards men had a slightly different set of body image and weight loss issues that were almost as awful and often mixed that with some kind of, I guess, weird power fantasies? I'm sure there must be decent strength training books out there, but my skimming led me to think that it is one those genres you best not venture into without recs. So I mostly backed away from consulting those.

Basically I'm looking for advice with which kind of exercises or exercise progressions (like with the different kinds of push-ups getting more difficult) are good to see your progress and motivate yourself, when you don't track increased weight like with lifting stuff.

Comments

[rydra_wong]

By the way, are you looking for suggestions of other bodyweight exercises you can try? I can think of various ones which would help with improving back and core strength.

[ratcreature]

Yeah I'm open to more suggestions, especially having a couple where you can see your progress, and notice that it's doing something. I mean, I have found a bunch of various other exercises in back pain related books I've read, with explanations which muscles they use and which problems they can help or prevent if done regularly, but the example programs in those kinds of books are most often set up that they suggest a list of exercises you ought to do every day or every other day and just keep doing them. And many exercises are stuff like for example that "cat-cow" exercise, where you stretch your back and such, but you don't really get "better" at them.

[rydra_wong]

And many exercises are stuff like for example that "cat-cow" exercise, where you stretch your back and such, but you don't really get "better" at them.

Yeah, cat-cow is basically a good way to warm up and mobilize your spine before you do anything else.

Top thing I would add to your current exercises: PLANK. Planks are really really fantastic for developing the ability of your core muscles to stabilize your spine in a neutral position, which is their most important function.

If you're not familiar with this, or know it by a different name: a front plank is the top position of a push-up, basically, held as a static hold.

Or the same thing but resting on your elbows/forearms instead of your hands (most people find this more difficult).

A side plank is the same, but on one side.

I'd do these for a set time, three sets (as described in a previous comment).

To make them easier, you can do them with your knees on the floor, or with your hands on a bench. To make them harder, you can elevate your feet, or try lifting one arm or leg off the floor.

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/RectusAbdominis/BWFrontPlank.html
http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Obliques/BWSidePlank.html
http://www.alkavadlo.com/2010/06/28/planks-and-side-planks/

There was a period when I did: left side plank for x second, front plank for x seconds, right side plank for x seconds, rest, repeat twice more (about three times a week) -- worked pretty well for me.

[ratcreature]

Thanks for the recs. I've seen these in books under their German names but haven't tried them yet. (In German the plank on your forearms is called Unterarmstütz, the side plank Seitstütz.) Looks like I will get some more use out of my stopwatch in the future.

I have been having some success already with my core muscles in that at least I can feel them now properly and tense them while breathing more or less normally. Initially I had a really hard time to tense them without accidentallynholding my breath entirely.

[rydra_wong]

As a bonus, getting good at planks will help a lot with push-ups (if those are something you're interested in working towards), because then you can already hold your body rigid and straight, so it's just your arms and shoulders that do the work.

Looks like I will get some more use out of my stopwatch in the future.

My theory is the best strategy for planks is to put your stopwatch somewhere where you can see it without strain, but it's not directly in front of you, and find something on YouTube to watch instead.

This somehow makes it far, far easier to hang in there than staring at the watch and grimly counting seconds. *g*

[ratcreature]

Being able to do a push-up eventually would be cool. I never really managed any, not even as kid in school. Now having read more about various exercises and about variants and such, it's another thing that is making me even more disgruntled with my PE teachers in retrospect, because back then I just failed at doing push-ups, but none of the teachers offered systematic alternatives, and I just tended to sit out the stuff I couldn't manage. And none of the condition or strength building stuff was done systematically or with decent explanations anyway. It was all just done in a quick prelude to other sports stuff, like various team sports or track and field.

Looking back I realize more and more that there were actually necessary physical education things they should have taught us in that class that would have been relevant for me, about how our bodies work and about maintaining health and mobility with the actual body you have to work with for your everyday life. But their completely idiotic emphasis on complicated team sports and athletic disciplines turned out to be way worse than with other skills taught in schools.

[rydra_wong]

Being able to do a push-up eventually would be cool.

Highly commended to your attention:

http://www.stumptuous.com/mistressing-the-pushup

It's got the full progression from wall push-ups to floor ones.

it's another thing that is making me even more disgruntled with my PE teachers in retrospect, because back then I just failed at doing push-ups, but none of the teachers offered systematic alternatives, and I just tended to sit out the stuff I couldn't manage. And none of the condition or strength building stuff was done systematically or with decent explanations anyway. It was all just done in a quick prelude to other sports stuff, like various team sports or track and field.

Yesssss. Which is why I can tend to be sort of evangelical about this stuff, because my school PE teachers basically got me avoiding all physical activities with fear and loathing for twenty years.

Nobody ever told me this stuff was learnable, or that there were modified versions of the things I couldn't do which would let me get stronger until I could do them.

I just got ordered to try harder. And I've got the motor co-ordination problems that often come with Asperger's, so I failed at everything, and just learned that it was horrible and impossible and humiliating and I'd fail and get hurt if I tried.

And now I'm 40, and I climb things, and I am the strongest and most flexible and most physically-skilled I have ever been in my life.