Exercise Is Good ..... BAH!
 

OK.... Here I go!
I'm dealing with a little extra stress right now so I decided to be responsible (shocking I know) and make the healthy choice in dealing with the stress. So off I went and joined the local YMCA. And not only that, I bought myself a personal trainer. I guess technically I only rented him but you know what I mean. His name is Brad and he'll be cracking the whip for 10 weeks. :)
Now anyone who knows me knows my aversion to exercise..... see the title of my journal. So even walking my round body into a gym is a feat. Famous for dropping an exercise plan after a couple weeks I figured if I have to be accountable to someone it might help me continue. So for 10 weeks I am at the mercy of Brad. And he is bigger and stronger than me so he can kick my arse if I start slacking. After that we'll see if I'm ready to fly solo.
Today was my first actual work out with him. (I had an orientation to the fitness center with him last week). I survived and will put the details of the work out in my next post.

My exercise goals for now are this.....
~Workouts 5 days a week
(cardio 2-3 days/week alternating with weights 2-3 days/week)
~when it warms up buy a new road bike and ride regularly (as my cardio days)
~avoid keeling over and dropping dead

Simple enough...... wish me luck.....

Day 1 of exercise
 

Today's workout..... Brad has it all written down and I should have taken it to copy it here since I don't know the name of any of the equipment :p but I know what I'm talking about so that's all that matters. LOL! I also would like to put the weight amount here. I'll bring the paper home tomorrow. For now I'll try to remember as much as I can and edit it tomorrow. Today we did a lot of upper body and arm stuff...

treadmill................7 min warm up... 3mph
pulldowns..............40 lbs.........2 sets...20 reps
incline chest press..7.5 lbs........2 sets...20 reps
ball crunches.........bw.............2 sets...20 reps
leg press...............80/100 lbs...2 sets...20 reps
shoulder press........5lbs...........2 sets...20 reps
(on bench)
lying leg curl..........35 lbs.........1 set....20 reps
oblique twist..........40 lbs.........1 set...20 reps (each side)
tricep press...........40 lbs.........1 set....20 reps
low back...............35 lbs.........2 sets...20 reps
bicep curls............40 lbs..........1 set....20 reps

That's the best I can do remembering right now....
Tomorrow will be an hour of cardio...

Day 2 of exercise
 

I brought my exercise log sheet home from the Y today and changed the exercises in yesterday's post. Also added in the weights.
I'm not sore today..... I thought I would be.... I think I should be. Maybe I have to up some weights or reps. I'll have to ask Brad.

As I was exercising today I was watching people in the gym. I love people watching. The machines I did happen to be on a back wall opposite (and facing) the area with the free weights and mirror wall. Watching the men checking themselves out in the mirror was hilarious! And I don't mean checking their form... that's understandable. I mean walking up to the mirror and flexing and checking their muscles. I guess that's what you do in a gym but it was funny to me! I also watched their rection to the ladies in the gym. My fear of walking my round body into a gym was unfounded, I feel relatively invisible which is just fine with me right now. I'll take that over being looked down upon or laughed at for being fat and in a gym which was my fear. But there are a lot of ladies who weren't invisible. LOL! I'm know some of the men were drooling... it wasn't just sweat! Of course I'm sure the ladies were checking out the guys too. And not just to laugh at them flexing at themselves. :lol:

Anyway.... todays work out....
20 minutes treadmill..... set at 3.0-3.5 and 0-3 incline
30 minutes bike........... climbing program level 3
10 minutes elliptical...... climbing 5 minutes then steady level 3 5 min

It was supposed to be 20 20 and 20 minutes but who knew the eliptical thing was so evil. LOL! After 10 minutes when I thought I might vomit I jumped off and hit the bike for an extra 10 minutes to complete my hour. I actually liked the elliptical but it was hard! LOL!

There are 2 elliptical looking things (at least I'm assuming they're both elliptical things).... one is called "Rotex" one "Glidex" I don't know what the difference is in the leg part. The Glidex has arms that move, the Rotex has stationary arms. I did the Rotex. I'll have to try the Glidex and see what the difference is (if any) in the leg movement. I managed not to kill myself with stationary arms... lets see if I come crashing off when my arms are moving too. :D There's also a stairclimber to do..... the cardio machines are endless. LOL!

I'm working all day tomorrow.... exercise free day.

Hi! Your title caught my eye......... my attitude, too! But you gotta do it. I love the idea of renting Brad........ sounds so posh, :) I'm interested in watching your progress with him. :whipcrack:

Laughing about your gym people description........ but we'll see if you eat your words in a few months.... one day, you'll catch yourself in the bathroom mirror, flexing and admiring your hard earned muscle! :)

It's good, BTW, that you weren't sore yet...... you want to get your body used to the new stress...... plenty of time for pain later! :thup:
Nice to "meet" you!
Lisa

Day 3 of exercise
 

I didn't exercise yesterday due to working 9a-9p. I planned that as a day off.

Today to the Y for weights. Here are today's exercises in the order I did them...

Treadmill warm up for 7 minutes at 3.0
Leg press...100lbs 20 reps 2 sets
Lying leg curl... 35 lbs 20 reps 2 sets
Oblique twist... 40 lbs 20 reps 2 sets each side
Ball crunches (that just sounds bad :p )... 20 reps 3 sets
Low back... 35 lbs 20 reps 2 sets
Pulldowns... 40 lbs 20 reps 2 sets
Incline chest press... 7 lbs 20 reps 2 sets
Shoulder press upright... 5 lbs 20 reps 2 sets
Machine curls... 20 lbs 20 reps 2 sets
Tricep press... 40 lbs 20 reps 1 set
Bike... climbing program for 20 minutes at level 3. Avg rpm 70-80.

So that was it. One more day down.
Tomorrow... cardio. :yay: :rolleyes:

Ball crunches, heh heh :)

I think your routine looks great! My beginning workouts were very basic and light, and are still not as heavy as many others'. But the impotant thing is that it's intense and challenging to YOU. And that you are consistent with it. Have fun on your cardio tomorrow!

Hey Girl...

Thats too funny! I check out my muscles in the mirror at home. I'm too embarrassed to do it at the gym :p I only look in the mirror to check form and practically not even for that. The mirrors in my gym are terrible (well it's really just terrible lighting).

Ok... First things first.... Are you still low carbing?? If you are, you might want to cut that treadmill warm up down to 3 mins max. You'll use up the fuel you need for the weights on that warm up. Does Brad know you're low carbing?

Oh...and you're doing cardio at the end of your weight days AND separate cardio days? That's a lot of cardio! I think you can easily skip the cardio on weight days, especially if you are doing 2-3 separate cardio days in the week. What's really important is that your spending a manageable amount of time in the gym. If you start feeling like you *have* to spend 2 hours at the gym everytime, you'll quit going (least I would!).

It looks like he has you using lots of machines and doing lots of reps, low number of sets. That sounds like he is trying to get you "toned". I hate that word! There is tons of information on the T word at that scary place :) It's a good place to start I think, but if you get bored and want to advance you'll want to cut the number of reps way down and increase the sets... like 3 sets of 8 reps. And don't be afraid of the free weights. I promise you won't *bulk up* if you use them!

Ok... I'll quit hogging your gym log now:) All that really matters is that you have a program you like and you'll do!

Soooooooo...... back to meet with Brad tomorrow. My time at the gym is suffering because of work. I need to arrange a better schedule. I would like to get there more than 3 times a week like I did this week. I can get there after work when I work 7p-7a but when I work 3p-3a it's hard to find a good time to go. I'll try to do better this week.

Anyway.... will check in after seeing brad tomorrow..... :D

I had my second appointment with Brad yesterday. It was a tough visit. He seemed to focus on upper body for some reason and I'm feeling it tonight. I'll bring my sheet home tomorrow to add the details but this is the basics.....

~treadmill warmup
~Leg press... 20 sets each in 3 different positions - normal, up and wide and low and together
~ball crunches... 2 sets of 20
~oblique twist... on my back on the mat with a medicine ball between my knees... 2 sets of I don't know how many reps
~chest press... 5 lbs... 20 reps...2 sets... sitting on the ball
~shoulder press upright... 5 lbs...2 sets... sitting on the ball
~pull downs... 3 sets... don't remember the weight
~tricep press... 3 sets (or was it 2?)... don't know weight
~bicep curls... 2 sets... 15 lbs I think
~treadmill cardio for 15 minutes

So looking at it I guess it really wasn't more upper body than last week. I'm just missing the low back and lying leg press. More reps on some and I'll have to compare the weights because I feel like I worked a hell of a lot harder. Even while doing it.... to the point where Brad had to spot me once (on the tricep press) and I am feeling it tonight.... pretty sore. I'm going to have to dip into the advil tonight and tomorrow before working out.
The exercises were the basically the same... but in a different way. Like doing the chest press and shoulder press on the ball reather than on a bench ("uses the stabilizing muscles") and the oblique twist was on the mat rather than on a machine.
All in all it was a good work out..... tougher than last week. We talked about diet and I found out that Brad is very traditional in his food thoughts. Not a LC fan at all. I really don't feel like I need to defend low carb..... to each his own but we did talk about it some.
And I told him after getting over my initial fear of going into a gym it really is not bad.. it's actually Ok. We talked about the perception of gyms with all the pretty people in spandex and he says "look around... these people are all ugly..." LOL!


Today...
I dragged into the Y after work for cardio...
20 minutes treadmill program... 3.0-3.5 climbing 0-3
15 minutes eliptical... no program just straight at level 2
25 minutes recumbant bike... climbing program at level 3.... I would rather the upright bike but they were all in use.

<note to self.... don't go to the Y around 10am... it's packed>

Tomorrow... lifting...

Hi Gypsy!

Sounds like a good workout! I'm interested in your use of a stability ball.......I've been thinking about getting one. Maybe it's too soon for you to say, but did you like using it better than sitting on the bench, doing those exercises? Interesting............

Friday.... weight workout....

treadmill warmup... 6 minutes... speed 3.0... incline 3
leg press... 120 lbs... 3 sets... normal, high and wide, low and inside
ball crunches... body weight... 2 sets... 20 reps
oblique twist with medicine ball... 2.5 lbs... 2 sets... 20 reps
chest press on ball... 7.5 lbs... 2 sets... 15 reps
shoulder press on ball... 7.5 lbs... 2 sets... 20 reps
pulldowns close-grip... 40 lbs... 3 sets... 20 reps
tricep extension rope... 20 lbs... 2 sets... 20 reps
machine curls... 10 lbs... 2 sets... 20 reps
elliptical... 10 minutes level 2

My arms felt a little better this morning.... felt good to work the muscles again. They'll probably be sore tomorrow. Oh well.... advil and the jacuzzi are always available! LOL!
I think I'll hit the treadmill at home tomorrow.... I think the gym is probably packed on the weekends. Sunday will be my off day and I'll lift on monday.

Wish I lived close to you. I'd join you!!!

Good luck.

Cissie

Thanks Gypsy, for the info. I want to get one now, not only for the core stabilizing effects, but so that I, too, can say I did "ball crunches", heh heh heh.

My level of lifting is really not too far from yours......... I restarted in Jan., and my weights were right about the same as yours. However, I toss around the idea of competition, so my goals are probably different. Doesn't matter, though......it's all good!

Monday......

Why would the Y be packed during a snow storm????? Apparently that is the place to hang out when it snows. :rolleyes: Had to alter my routine a bit due to the crowd but got everything in....

elliptical warmup... 7 minutes... level 2 (in place of treadmill... they were all in use)
leg press... 120 lbs... 3 sets... normal, high and wide, low and inside
ball crunches... body weight... 2 sets... 20 reps
shoulder press on ball... 5 lbs... 2 sets... 20 reps
chest press on ball... 5 lbs... 2 sets... 20 reps
oblique twist machine... 40 lbs... 2 sets... 20 reps each side (in place of oblique twist with medicine ball... minimal mat room)
vertical traction machine... 45 lbs... 3 sets... 20 reps (in place of pulldowns but see below...)
tricep press machine... 20 lbs... 2 sets... 20 reps (in place of tricep extension rope)
machine curls... 10 lbs... 2 sets... 20 reps
bicycle.... 20 minutes level 3 climbing program

I didn't feel the vertical traction machine was near as effective as doing the close grip pull downs so after my bike ride the equipment for the pulldowns was free. So I did pulldowns...40 lbs... 3 sets... 20 reps. And man did I feel them!

I slacked and did not do cardio over the weekend. :nono: Will hit the Y tomorrow for cardio.

Tuesday..... cardio....

Treadmill... 25 minutes... climbing program... average speed 3... incline 0-4.5
Bicycle... 20 minutes... climbing program... level 3
Eliptical... 15 minutes... constant level 2

And I studied for my ACLS recert the whole time while on the treadmill and bike. Made the work out go faster. Didn't study on the eliptical because I do well enough to stay on the darn thing...