Weekly post: What did you do?

[cereta]

My apologies for missing this last week. I'd had some minor surgery (which is why I won't be contributing this week, bleh).

So, what did you do?

Comments

[umbo]

Not nearly as much this week, given major conference and then traveling, but I did have a great workout with my trainer on Weds.!

[laurashapiro]

Squats at 35 lbs now, and flys with 15 lb in each hand, but I can only do about two of those so I'm not sure it's time to move up yet. (:

Maintained or increased weight on everything, but I only went to the gym once this week (holidays and IBS screw me up).

Best news: liberated some free weights from my parents' garage! Today I'm going to try my first home workout!

[rydra_wong]

Best news: liberated some free weights from my parents' garage! Today I'm going to try my first home workout!

\o/

[laurashapiro]

I need to figure out how to replace the gym's benches with furniture I have around the house...

[rydra_wong]

FWIW, I've found that one of those large inflatable exercise balls substitutes nicely for a bench for most purposes.

[laurashapiro]

I'll be all wobbly! On the plus side, if I have a yoga ball, I can do squats. Hmm...

[rydra_wong]

Wobbly is good! Means you have to work all sorts of subsidiary stuff to stabilize yourself!

[laurashapiro]

I know, I just freak so much about hurting my back, is all. I like to be stable when I lift, both feet planted firmly on the ground, obsessing about form. Then I know I won't injure myself. Wobbly is scary!

[sophinisba]

The lack of check-in post last week worked out well for me because I hadn't done any strength work that week. o_0

This week I got a new exercise video and started using it. A 30-minute arms workout on Sunday that I didn't care for, 30-minute one on Monday that was more of a full body thing (including squats, deadlifts, and pushups) and a 38-minute combination of the two on Wednesday.

I had sore hamstrings and calves on Tuesday but that was about it. (I'm almost sure it was the deadlifts. Every time I do those, it's fine at the time and I'm thinking I could handle a heavier weight no problem, but the next day, ouch!)

Also this week I bought some new heavier dumbbells (10 lbs) but I probably won't start using them for another week because I'm getting ready for a race on the 12th and don't want to shake things up too much.

[thalia]

After an embarrassingly long strength training layoff, I've been doing The Firm twice a week for the last couple of weeks... which I suppose counts as "lifting moderately heavy things." My goal has been to ramp up to doing a full workout without going through insane DOMS, and I've pretty much managed--there's been some soreness, but nothing too bad. Next week I think I'll be able to push the weights a bit more.

[rydra_wong]

I'm trying to get back into consistent strength training, after several weeks being tour guide to London for visiting friends (which led to the joys of swimming in the Serpentine Lido, but not much in the way of lifting heavy things).

I acquired a pair of bright blue 12kg kettlebells as a present to myself, and have just started trying to domesticate them.

(I did have to ditch one during a Turkish get-up, and went downstairs to find that the impact had knocked a lightbulb out of its ceiling fitting. Which I thought was quite impressive.)

[perspi]

Hi! I'm new to the comm (was directed this way by zulu), but I have been lifting heavy things for a little while now. I did a round-and-two-thirds of ChaLEAN Extreme, and now I'm halfway through the first stage of New Rules of Lifting for Women.

This week I did three workouts from NRoL4W--this morning was the first day I stepped up from 2 sets of 12 (for most exercises) to 3 sets of 10, and I was wiped! 50 lbs for squats, 30 and 25-lb dumbbells for bent-over rows, 25-lb dumbbells for step-ups. 30-degree pushups--I'm getting closer and closer to the floor. :)

Next week I'm hoping to add in at least two cardio workouts--possibly swimming. But I like the big weights! *g*

[vass]

I rather gingerly dipped my toe into lifting again by doing a couple of bodyweight squats. I think I broke parallel.

[rydra_wong]

\o/ I struggle so much to break parallel.

[zennish]

I have just joined the comm, in the interest of keeping in shape and not falling into the trap of 'I can do it tomorrow lolz'.

This week I renewed my climbing membership after 2 years of inactivity (\o/), maintained my routine of stair sprints and am on day 27 of the 100 Burpee Challenge, which would be more impressive if I didn't constantly forget to actually do the burpees, the consequences of which are that I have 116 accumulated burpees to do today. orz

[alexseanchai]

I dehydrate fast enough when I'm sitting on my ass. Faster when I'm exercising or it's ninety degrees out. You expect me to do both at once? (Mind, skipping days this week is probably part of why I feel like crap...) I did do one day, though, two sets with the light resistance band and one with the extra-light plus three sets of pushups and squats.

[sophiap]

I did 3 NRoL4W workouts, thereby ending Phase 3. Woo! I am, however considering adding 2 more workouts so I can arrange my week off to come during my actual vacation. The big victory here was getting up to 25 lbs on the one-arm dumbell snatch. Also, I pushed myself to go to the gym when I had the onset of a fibro flareup, and the heavy workout seemed to help settle things down (anyone else out there dealing with fibro who might be interested in comparing experiences with resistance training?)

Still struggling to get to below parallel on anything squatlike. Feh.

[ladyjax]

I've been meaning to say something about this. Basically, I screwed up my left shoulder in February and have been going through what (to me) feels to be the worlds longest rehab. Mind you, it took me six months to rehab my knee after ACL surgery but that's when I had hardcore professional rehab every week and I had targets and what not to reach.

What I've noticed is the slow degradation of strength that I had and have had to deal with my frustration around that. There's no heavy lifting until we've dealt with scar tissue and muscle issues that go to the bone. So I'm doing a lot of range of motion exercises so my shoulder doesn't freeze up and down the line, strengthening exercises will be added. The new chiropracter, who's filling in for my regular practitioner while she's on medical leave, is starting to use the
Graston Technique on my shoulder. This last visit was easy. According to him, next time around, it's going to be harder. Oh joy.

In the meantime, I'll be trying basic, non-weight squats again but without having my other arm to balance, it's going to be a little tough.