Posted 22.09.10 in my journal

Yesterday my Mum and I went shopping (she's paying) for exercise clothes! I always rather hated doing that, because all the women's clothes are shiny, clingy fabrics and nothing fits...

So, I went into the men's section, and picked up two extremely comfy pairs of shorts! They weren't even baggy in the crotch, which surprised me! I also got a nice-colored men's shirt.

The girl shirts I tried were designed to show off every curve really, really well, all clingy and shiny... I hate that!

I'm surprised at how comfy my outfits were, nothing is too small or too revealing!

Posted 29.09.10 in my journal

Yesterday was the very first time my mother and I worked out together. I kept adding weight to some of the exercises so I wouldn't be able to do more than ten reps at a time, she was reluctant to add anything. I worked out fairly slowly, and she was struggling to slow down her motion to learn the exercises. Also, when I was done, I was DONE. I walked funny going home (gym is just five minutes away). I had a quick protein-rich meal and shower, and felt a lot better.

Well, this morning, SHE's really stiff, and I'm NOT!

I know she's thirty years older, but I really think it's the heavy weights and relatively slow motion for me, and the light weights and faster motion she was using that messed up her muscles.

I'm going to work up to a true Slow Burn program over the course of a few weeks or months. For now, we're both using the very short introductory program that the trainer gave us. It's just five exercises long, with 3 sets of 10 reps. This, I can stick to.

Just glowing today!!!

Today is day two. We're exercising twice a week, tuesdays and fridays for now. I've got choir practice on thursdays, by the way.

I can't believe I'm actually looking forward to this?!

Usually, exercise is not something I look forward to. But this time, I am for some reason. This is strange...

My weight is going up, and I don't think I'm losing centimetres either. It's water weight I'm sure, because I feel bloated all the time. If if were muscle, though that's a bit early, I should be getting smaller, but my work scrubs are tight as ever. Hopefully the centimetres will start going down again soon, and I hope my weight continues to rise gently for a while, with NEW MUSCLE!!!

Day three down.

I'm starting to see what this is all about, I think. Yesterday I pushed myself so hard I could barely walk out of the gym, but after 15 minutes on the couch I was mostly back to normal.

The training programme is 10 reps x 3 sets. Chest press, 20 kg, then leg press, 90 kg, lower back, 30 kg, total abdominal trainer 40 kg, and pull downs, 35 kg. Mum lifts lighter weights. She's older, but also much smaller than me, and I don't just mean around the middle, I have like a head on her, height-wise and am much broader in the shoulders and hips.

But we're BOTH hanging in there!!!

I'm more surprised about me, actually, I've never gone this long just weight-training! Having her there to spur me on and to try to impress, is making all the difference.

Day four now, and I'm flapping a bit. I have anxiety anyways, and I thouoght I'd write about that a little...

I've always imagined that all the gym-bots I saw in the several gyms I've "supported" by paying and then not going were looking at me, shaking their heads behind my back and whispering. But this time around, my Mum is keeping me coming back for more punishment, and I'm actually really starting to get proud about how hard I'm working.

I lift so much I can barely finish the last set, and once, so far, I even didn't finish! I was so stoked! Muscle exhaustion is a major goal of mine, as much as possible every time. I WANT to walk funny going home!

So, as long as the gym-bots in their pretty, revealing shiny shirts get to see someone who obviously needs to be there one whole heck of a lot more than they do, lifting huge (someday) weights and straining until she looks ready to have a coronary, I'll feel great about myself!

If anyone ever questions my being there, by the way, that's what I'll say "Who needs to be here more, of the two of us do you think? Well, STFU then!" with a BIG smile on my face and a sarcastically lifted eyebrow.

And, I know my Mum is proud of me right beside me.

It's now just after the 7th time. Yesterday I got to the locker room only to see my Mum looking very sheepish standing by the door. She told me she forgot her gym gear at home... She's going to work out today instead, and I got to train alone for the first time since we started.

Oh my word it was HARD. Not having her there to talk to was hard, but the worst part was trying to figure out how long to pause between sets, as that's usually determined by how long SHE takes to do hers. I'm immensely proud of myself. I actually pushed so hard on the leg press (up to 110 kg now, so not quite what I weigh in any case, but very close!) that I got cramps and had to walk around in between to loosen up...

I still have a lot to learn on at least two of the exercises, I'm not sure I'm straining the right muscles. But I'm getting better!

Every time I've been training, I bounce out of bed in the morning, never sore, BUT both my Mum and I have a slight problem. Insomnia.

It feels exactly like trying to sleep when a little bit drunk, my thoughts keep spinning tracklessly, and my dreams are confusing, vivid and not very restful. And this without a single drop! In a way I'm glad we're not training every single day, that would be exhausting...

It's been a long time, but since I'm now taking this whole training thing much more seriously, and have a GOAL in mind, time to start documenting.

I'll come back and post my slightly-insane goals later, they're in my journal.

I've just finished reading Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe. I've also just started doing the workouts that way, and monday was the first "real" training session. I can already tell it's going to be good, though!

Yesterday I ordered some fractional plates for olympic barbells, since while it may be feasible (or even EASY, darn it!) for men to increase by 2,5 kg every single session, I know for sure I can't, especially NOT on the bench press. I think the set comes in .25, .5 .75 and 1 kg, two of each. My flaky gym can'g be trusted to supply even enough collars to go around, never mind "specialty" items like fractional plates, after all, there's just one female lifter in the place, namely, ME!!!

All the other women do classes and/or machines. And the elliptical. For hours.

Monday 20.02.2012:

40 kg back squat, 5x5. I think I'm starting to really figure out the position of the bar on my back now.

20 kg press, 5x5.

40 kg deadlift, 1x5.

Warmed up on a bike for 10 min, then light weights, building up to the work sets. Plan for next time:

42,5 kg back squat for 5x5

x kg bench press, 5x5, weight to be determined

40 kg deadlift, 1x5, because my back needs time to get used to this new form.

Maybe warm up with the row machine?

Wait for the fractional plates before I start increasing on either press. Start increasing the deadlift before I start learning the power clean, as the first part is a deadlift.

I posted this in my journal a while ago: "I have officially lost it. I'm serious. I'm about to share with you all the extent of my insanity, spelled out black on white.

These are my loony-tunes fitness goals:

Bench 100 kg
Deadlift 200 kg
Squat 150 kg
10 unassisted pullups
Do the "bridge" unassisted for 5 min
Handstand ditto for 5
Cartwheels (major psychological block)
Front flip
Back flip
Spagat / Front and side splits
Back roll to stand
Handstand pushups
Climb a rope

These are pretty much all of my wants for fitness, some of the wishes go back many years, the powerlifting ambitions are new. Most of the gymnastics stuff are things I never managed as a teenager, and always wanted to one day achieve. I thought I'd write them all out to convince myself that they are achievable. BECAUSE I THINK THEY ARE.

I'm healthy. My metabolism has a few challenges, and I'm weak in some muscles, but I should actually make most of these IF I WANT IT ENOUGH.

It may take years. I will probably have to change my eating habits and throw weight loss to the curb for a little while, and train insane amounts. But, I know if I achieve even a few of these, my body will transform itself. MAybe the focus on weight loss was actually wrong for me. Maybe this will do the trick!"

Now I'm bummed that I've volunteered to sing at the ash wednesday service today and so I can't get to the gym... due to a choir practice on thursday I won't get a chance to make up for it, and I'll lose one session this week. Darn it!

Yesterday I did the other part of Rippetoe's split beginner program, by replacing the press with a bench press. I forgot about warming up with the row machine because I'd been stressing to get to the gym and running late. Next time, row machine.

Back squat, 40, 5x5. Still not sold on the back position, but it's still improving. My shoulders, chest and back need to be more flexible, though, that's for sure, and I have to work on that even on non-lifting days so I don't stiffen up again. I'm using a foam roller at home most days at least on the back.

Bench turned out to be 40 kg, 5x5. Not bad, considering I was at 45 before I started changing my form and it's been probably three weeks since the last time I hit the bench.

Deads, ditto at 40, 5x1. I have to start increasing soon, but the new form felt surprisingly good, and my back hurt less. It's a muscle-hurt, if that makes sense. Not an injury, I really don't think. Just misused muscles screaming protest.

I also stood in the bridge pose for 20 sec. Have to start adding in the frog/crow soon. That feels scary, because I have a mental block against handstands.

Saturday I took a long walk on the fjord. No really, it's frozen solid, and certified safe by the authorities. I did it last week, too, and since I figured this was the last time before it melts enough to be unsafe, I decided to go again. It was very different.

First time, there was lots of snow on the ice, and it was just like walking down a huge flat plain. If you've ever skied crosscountry across a lake, you know what I mean. But this time, the snow was all gone, and the surface was all shiny, slippery ice... I walked out anyway, though I should have bought ice spikes for my shoes first...

I could feel my postural mucles working, because I was off balance most of the time, trying not to slip and fall over. I couldn't walk very fast, and surprisingly what got the most sore after, was my calves! Yesterday I had trouble walking...

If it's still cold enough through the week that the ice remains safe next weekend (big IF), I'm going to get some spikes and go out again.

Today, I'm going to try to increase both my squat, press and deadlift. I'm also going to row as a warmup, and might try a power clean with just the bar, just to get the idea.

Yesterday's session went pretty well!

Squat 42,5 kg 5x5, up 2,5.
Press 20 kg, same as before. May be able to increase next time, but form is lagging.
Deadlift, 42,5 kg 5x1, up 2,5.

I rowed as warmup, and will continue to do so. It's so much better than cycling, and I'm starting to get the technique, I think. Actually, at a sports convention once, I tried out a row machine, and the guy at the booth asked me if I'd ever considered rowing competitively! I never took him up on it, and now I've found weightlifting, but it's a nice memory.

The press is still weird, because I can't seem to keep my shoulders shrugged up and forward to rack the bar. I need to stretch out my traps, I think. And maybe build some shoulders!

ETA: More of a description of my day in my journal, http://forum.lowcarber.org/showpost...7&postcount=471.

Another very good session. I increased all the lifts with 2,5 kg. I won't be able to increase the bench press next session unless the fractional plates I've ordered make it here really quick, like before next monday. Not holding my breath on that one.

This sunday, I'm getting a boxing lesson! I'm going to learn the basics of how to hit the punching bag, maybe kick, too, just so when they have an open room where the punching bag is located I can go in and beat the stuffing out of it. I've been wanting to hit SOMETHING lately, this could be good!

Squat 45 kg 5x5
Bench 42,5 kg 5x5
Deadlift 45 kg 1x5.

I tried the bridge pose afterwards, planning on 30 seconds, and couldn't even get off the medicine ball, because my arms were too wiped out...!

I stood nearly in the frog pose for five whole seconds, with toe-tips just on the ground, before the practice! That's a big step forward!

Some more in my journal: http://forum.lowcarber.org/showpost...0&postcount=472

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Yesterday I had a boxing lesson! My gym gives unlimited trainer sessions to it's patrons, included in the subscription. I already tried to get some guidance in my lifts, but we know how that went! So, since there's a punching bag in one of the group rooms, which is sometimes open for general use, and I sometimes long to HIT something, I decided to learn the basics.

I had a lot of fun, he taught me to jab, hook and uppercut, duck and weave, holding up those sort of pad things for me to hit. I didn't wear gloves, because it was hard to figure out where to put the thumbs, and the leather really dug into them and was uncomfortable. I've got eczema on my hands, but surprisingly enough the skin on my knuckles didn't split. Just a little abrasion on my left index finger's base knuckle.

While we were training, a man came in and asked something like, "Is it because she's got a booked lesson?" I think he wanted to box, too...!

I missed a session on friday, because I just didn't feel like going. And then today, I'm missing out because I've started my period, and on LC they're always dramatically messy and painful. Silver lining, though, they're also quickly over.

My fractional plates haven't arrived yet, so yesterday I broke down and bought two sets of 0.5 kg ankle weights. They'll do until I get the plates. I also found out there's a nice lifting-focused sports equipment store downtown! It would be strange if there wasn't, of course, it IS the capital. It'll be there if anywhere.

After the boxing lesson I got to hike out on the ice again, it's still open for foot traffic. There was even a whole waffle stand, complete with portable generator, out on the ice! I had on a set of ice spikes, to walk more safely, and they did the trick. Will be using them more next winter if there's safe ice then. Doesn't happen every year, and often doesn't last very long.