Hiya! Congratulations on your success so far!

I just thought I'd mention an alternative to squats that I do when my knees are rice krispies. Sit on the very corner of a chair, feet flat on the floor, legs apart. Shift your weight forward to your feet as if you're getting up, until your butt is slightly off the chair. Hold for a few seconds, then sit your butt back on the chair. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Angela...
This is a tough exercise, even after months of working out. I find Kickbacks easier to do. Can manage 15-20# at that and still only up to 10-12# on the Extensions. Maybe try starting lighter on it so that you can manage all of the sets??



This is another tough exercise. I'm still not very strong in the shoulders. I've been doing shruges and find that if I really focus on tensing the muscle at the top, I get a really good burn and then the DOMS too. I'm looking forward to having some real strength in my arms!

You are doing great! I think it's awesome that you are doing all of this!

Marlaine

Angela, you might try revesing the order of these moves. The fly is not a great exercise for building strength, and it is recommended that you use it as your secondary exercise (it's a stretching move and doing it with too much weight can cause injury to the connective tissue). Using moves that are compound and mid range (employ many muscles) such as the press are always preferable for the main exercise.

Do you have adjustible weights? I have found that doing the shoulder side raises with just the bar after I've worked to failure (or near failure) does a good job of getting me just a little further. The Upright row is another good move for shoulders that is a little easier to do. You might also try doing the shoulder presses from a standing position - it isolates things less (it's a little easier ).

As Karen's tagline says, progress not perfection. One week at a time and come the Fall you'll be amazed at how strong you'll have become.

Nat

Wow you guys. Thanks for all the info. Looks like I'm not missing much by working out at home instead of a gym...I feel like there are a half a dozen personal trainers watching over me.

Kristine - that looks like an interesting variation on the squat. My rice krispy knees are actually much better now. The glucosamine sulfate must have finally kicked in, so my knees aren't a bother anymore.

Marlaine- I'll give the kickbacks a try. The extensions have been a struggle since the beginning, and only on a few rare occassions have they felt right.

Natrushka-I didn't know the flyes were not that great. I'll switch over to the bench presses. It seems like during this first challenge I've been doing a lot of switching around trying to find what works for me and with the equipment I have. By the next one, hopefully things will settle in some. I don't have adjustable weights, but I have one and 2 pounders and those are usually what I reach for at the end of the side raises..heck some days it's all I can do to do the last set of raises empty handed!

Yesterday when I was working out I dressed in my swimsuit and a pair of spandex biking shorts. I wanted to see form and muscles better. The room I use was set up as a home gym by the people who we bought the house from, so there are floor to ceiling mirrors on 2 walls. My hamstings were actually twitching during the deadlifts. The tops of my shoulders radiating out from my neck were doing neat things during the side raises, and curls, wow, I have biceps!

I love this new phase of my "mid life crisis" It feels good. It's good for me. And for some reason the exercising has "clicked" with me, just like LCing did about 6 weeks into it.

The feeling good is worth it alone. The scale and tape measure don't call me anymore. The scale is just something I use to help monitor if my carb level is too high over time. I haven't measured in a while and probably won't until at least the end of July, maybe August when the challenge is over.

Angela, using one or 2 lb weights ain't nothing abnormal. Women tend to be weak in the upper body, it's very normal. Many of these exercises isolate those upper body muscles and using lower than normal weights (compared to what you'd use for say squats) makes perfect sense. The muscles of your upper body are smaller. When my 6'2", 190lb boyfriend started lifting weights he had to use two pounders for one armed tricep extension and for kickbacks (he'd kill me if he knew I told anyone this, shhhh).

Speaking of tricpes, a really great move to target all 3 heads is the skull crusher/french curl (sometimes called laying tricep extensions), another is the closed grip pench press (with a barbell, should you get yourself one).

Flyes are good exercises, just not for building strength. They are a great stretching move and they really finish off the chest (and the biceps).

Sounds like you're having a blast
Nat

Sunday was supposed to be 20-MAS, but it was unbelievably hot by the time I got out of bed to go out and walk, so I took a free day. Did the 20MAS this morning. My legs and shoulders are still screaming from Saturday's workout, so I didn't even break into a run. But I did go out and enjoy it.

Yesterday for some reason I had a bad carbs day. I just decided to eat things that were no'nos - half a bag of tortilla chips with jarred salsa at lunch, and 2 hot dogs with buns for dinner. I even checked the carbs on the buns before eating them. At 30 each that's 90 plus whatever was in the tortilla chips. Thank goodness I rarely do this. I'm back on track today, and paying for it with almost 2.5 pounds of water weight.

Dumb thing is I really didn't enjoy the hot dogs that much...but the tortilla chips were heaven...it was the salty taste more than the chips themselves. Maybe I've been low on salt because I'm drinking tons of water in this heat. Will up my potassium this week, since the heat wave will continue until Thursday.

It's a holiday here..going to treat myself today by shortening a couple of dresses to just above knee length from mid-calf. I'm tired of hiding everything, and the shortened length will make those feel like brand new clothes.

LBWO

7 minute warmup to aerobics tape

Quads - Plie squats:
12/8# 10/10# 8/20# 6/20# 12/20# step ups 12/10#

Hamstrings - Deadlifts
all done using 20#, 12/10/8/6/12 only 6 of the last set of 12. Quit because my knees were about to give out. Need to lower the weights for the last sets.

Calves - angled calf raises. I've decided to go easy on the calf raises since my calves are already like steel, and practically no fat on them. Did 17 raises with no weights, just to give the calves a stretch. Muscles were burning.

Abs - crunches 12/10/8/6/12/6

Added a bit more in to compensate for exercise switches:

Wrists - wrist curls with 8# 20 reps. Hopefully these will help to strenghten my weak wrists

Triceps - 20 pushes at notch 3 on the rowing machine. Sitting reversed on it works the triseps, sitting normal works the biceps

Finally found unflavoured. unsweetened, low carb WHEY powder at Nutrition house. Mixed it with my yogurt at lunch.

Decided, after much thinking and reviewing my progress, that a little kick was needed. Bought some Ripped Fuel today and will try that, hoping to shake things up a bit.

STarted keeping track of food, cals etc again and find I am low on everything, so will need to get back into the swing of things. This is a good week to focus on better leves since I'm on vacation.

Angela, glad that website (fitsite) was useful - I often forget about it as I don't have to switch up exercises with BodyRx as much as with BFL.

Re those calves - I've been in the same boat for practically forever (feels like it anyway) - muscular, defined, no fat. I also have a very hard time getting them to 'hurt' - or did. I found that using lighter weights and using the "pause and squeeze" method left me feeling a little 'hobbled' for a few days. With lighter weights you're better able to get up high on your toes and when you reach the peak you squeeze and hold for a good 2 seconds. After about 50 of these I was truly impressed. Food for thought, maybe? I can say that since I started this (about 3 weeks ago) there has been a change in the shape and definition (where I didnt think there was any improvement to be made!)

N

Nat, I've always done the calf raises very slow and held at the top. It's the only muscle group where I feel the burning sensation. I'd like to continue doing them so they are not overlooked, but just in a less intense fashion. One thing I hate on a woman is bulky calves..I don't want to be there.

Day 3 - 20MAS
Walk/run intervals outside. It was already 80 degrees at 7am. took the shady route and guzzled twice the water.

Just when you think you have things figured out, your body decides to throw you a curve and do it's own thing. Yesterday I decided to start on Ripped Fuel to shake things up a bit. Took only half a dose.

Today, purely by coincidence, I think the effects of 5 weeks on BFL started to show dramatically. It is physically impossible that half a dose of Ripped Fuel can account for a significant whoosh in both inches and pounds. I'm back down to the point I was in weight when I started BFL. I had gained 7 pounds in the past 5 weeks. Yesterday and this morning I started dropping, and am down 6.5 pounds, with 5.5 inches less of me than the start of BFL, mostly from the tummy and thighs. In other words, the fat is going, going gone, and it's the inches that are the significant difference to celebrate.

This is very encouraging.

Very encouraging, indeed!

Makes good sense too - muscle is estimated to take about 6 weeks to 'grow' - looks like you're a head of the game! WTG Angela!

Nat

Hey Angela...

I know you must be thrilled with the recent changes!!

...way to go!! Keep up the great work!

Marlaine

Nat and Marlaine - you are both angels for watching over me and cheering me on. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

You realize this is all your fault don't you? Exercise would never have been part of my life had it not been for the things you post in your journals, and the vast amounts of info you so freely share.

Body temps - rising and post workout (I always get the chills real bad after a satisfying workout. Now I know why.)

Sun - R 97.4
Mon - R 97.4
Tue - R 97.8 (Started thermogenics at lunch)
Wed - R not taken, post workout 97.8 (Thermo in am and at lunch)
Thur - R 98.8 post workout 97.8 (Thermo before pm workout)

Up until today I dreaded doing the upper body workout. Part of it was because I had so much trouble finding the right exercises, part of it was because I was so focused on trimming down my lower half, which is the problem area.

Today, things seem to have clicked for me. First off, thanks to some advice from Nat and Marlaine, the new adjustments were satisfying. Secondly, I'm starting to see some differences in the slope of my shoulders. When I compare the progress picture I posted just before starting BFL, and what I saw in the mirror today...well it appears that my shoulders are more square and less droppy. I like the new look.

UBWO

Warmup to the first 4 songs of the aerobics tape...2 upper and lower stretch routines and 2 upper and lower mild aerobics. This is the first time I've done a longer warmup and it seems to have paid off. Will continue to do this for weight training and before running.

All done with dumb bells

Chest
Bench press 12/8 10/8 8/8 6/8 12/8
Flyes 7/8 ouwie that one was a killer HM10s

Shoulders
Press 12/8 10/5 8/5 6/5 12/5
Side raises 12/2 and it took every last ounce to get that 12th rep up parallel HM10s

Back
Rows 12/8 10/5 8/5 6/8 12/8
Bent over rows 10/8 another killer to get to the 10th HM10s

Triceps
Kickbacks 12/2 10/3.5 8/5 6/8 12/8
Extensions10/8 another killer to get to the 10th HM10s

Biceps
Curls 12/8 10/10 8/10 6/10 12/8
Hammer curls 8/8 Was really pushing the limit on these using the 10 pound weights. HM10s

I hit my 10s on everything. This hasn't happened before with the upper body workout. This was a surprisingly satisfying workout

ps If anyone is reading this, I posted a question under the thermogenics thread in the general exercise forum. I could really use an answer, and don't want my question to bet burried in the length of that thread. Thanks so much

I highy recommend you spend the money on real dumbells. They're pretty cheap, actually, especially if you need just 3's and 5's at this point. If you are holding bottles, you are also working the muscles that keep the hand closed, instead of concentrating on the arm muscles. Using dumbells makes the act of holding the weight effortless.

Just a thought.

Irish

Irish, thanks so much. for the advice. I found that the water bottles were a bit unweildy because the grip was wide, but also didn't want to waste money on weights that I knew I would outgrow quickly. This week I finally purchased real dumb bells in 8, 10 and 20 pound weights. They are much easier to handle.