Abdomination

Sounds like you're doing good on the eating! I wish it was always easy!

And I hear you on the knee. I tore mine up trying to run on a hard track while carrying too much weight... not good. I have one knee that crackles going up stairs, and the other knee crackles going down stairs.

I can do squats now, although for some reason my knee doesn't like lunges. Squats that go below parallel are safer than staying at parallel. And supposedly box squats (where you actually sit on a box) are safer. I keep meaning to do box squats instead myself, but I have a tendency to forget until I'm done and have that V-8 moment. :p

Good work on the push-ups! I can probably do 10 sloppy full push-ups now :D I know I don't do them perfectly, but these things take time, right? I'm hoping to be able to do a good pull-up some time next year, but I know it'll be a while. My gym has an assisted pull-up machine which I use. Although I hear people recommend using bands for the assist rather than the machines... I haven't quite figured out how to make that happen though, so I make do with the assist machine.

Don't give me too much credit. I had a hard week which ended in diet terror, but yesterday I got and assembled the recumbent bike my parents bought, and I'm happy as a clam about getting started again!

And I'm all about V-8 moments, trust me. Outer disorganization leads to inner disorganization, and I'm bad about getting into a tornado of confusion! I'm working to get out this weekend, though. I have a lot of work to do next week and two finals to study for on Friday. Who knows how I got so passive about my grades this semester? It's not happening again.

Also, I think you might use bands by leaning back at a 45 degree angle and pulling yourself up. I think I saw something like that on a TRX commercial (which I copied with those straps you use to keep ATV's in your truck). Good luck to you!!
 
I know the stretchy bands are supposed to work, but I can't quite figure out how to attach them to the pullup bar and still get my feet in there :D

Good luck on your finals!
 
Wow I'm so confused. LoL! I was thinking of a totally different maneuver!
I looked it up and found a pic of a guy doing a pull up here:

He just looped it over the bar and threaded it through itself, then put his foot in it. That's a great idea! Woot!

Speaking of which, I need to get off my butt and work out. :)

Have a nice day!
 
Hope your workout went well! And hmm, that does seem to make sense... should I ever get my pull-up bar installed at home I may have to try it :)
 
not training a bodypart due to fear of injury can be as bad as over doing it. I had bad knees for a long time both before and after surgery and was afraid that after surgery i was going to re-injure my bad knee if i done anything strenuous on it. It was a mistake, by allowing that fear to take over contributed to my in activity and weight gain and delayed my getting back into shape.
 
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not training a bodypart due to fear of injury can be as bad as over doing it. I had bad knees for a long time both before and after surgery and was afraid that after surgery i was going to re-injure my bad knee if i done anything strenuous on it. It was a mistake, by allowing that fear to take over contributed to my in activity and weight gain and delayed my getting back into shape.

You are absolutely right, and I have been walking around with more and more weight on me in the last few months as a result of the fear. Now that you have had knee surgery, do you train differently than someone with perfect knees, or just the same?
 
there are a few things I can no longer do in particular activities that put stress on the knee in the form of twisting so I can no longer compete in matial arts or broomball (like ice hockey) but in general my knees are stronger than they have ever been and many are surprised that i ever had a bad knee. I would not expect most members of the forum to train like I do but it is posible to fully recover depending on the severity of the knee problem. Care needs to be taken in the early stages to avoid over doing things and correct form is crucial.
 
I've always been big on form, because I'm so much bigger than my body is built to handle. I got bursitis in my knee from walking funny from having osteoarthritis in my hip. I'm still doing squats, etc., but paying close attention to all the crackles, etc. that I hear and what I feel going on in my joint. Thanks so much for cheering me on, though! It's part of what got me through my workout this morning.
 
Week In Review:
Monday: rested
Tuesday: strength and 5 miles on recumbent
Wednesday: rested
Thursday: strength
Friday: 5 miles on recumbent (in under 25 minutes!)
Saturday: strength workout

Today I'm doing another 5 miles. I'm working up to a recumbent century. (Which will happen in May if all goes well.)

My strength workout will be basically the same for four weeks and will vary in reps and number of times to repeat sets before resting (is there an easier way to say that?).
Right now everything is 12 reps:

Squat with overhead press
Plank (1 minute) - I can't do full yet.
Squat with overhead press
Plank (1 minute)
50 seconds rest
Upright row
Push ups (I'm currently doing them on a balance ball near my hips.)
Windmill
Upright row
Push ups
Windmill
50 seconds rest
Plie' squat with bicep curl
Triceps dip (or kickback if I'm not feeling the dips)
Bicycle
Plie' squat with bicep curl
Triceps dip
Bicycle

I stole it from Fitness and made it work better for me. I do have two questions, though:
1) Is it safe for really large people with basically no upper arm strength to do full triceps dips, or are there stages leading up to dips?
2) You've probably noticed the first superset has something left out. It's lunges with an explosive jump. I know it's a really great exercise, but I have osteoarthritis in my hips and bursitis in my knee. Should I try it anyway? Is there another move that's just as good?

Thanks!
 
I personally would skip the explosive jumps - unfortunately I don't know what else you could be doing in their place. Maybe come up from the lunge as quickly as you can without actually jumping?

I only wish I had the answer to questions like these an many more.

Hope you had a great Christmas & New Years and that you're on track for 2010 :D
 
In the end I did skip the explosive jumps. The routine still takes the better part of an hour, so I'm pretty sure I'm still okay. Definitely sore, so that's a good sign. Last week I hurt my shoulder, which took 4 or 5 days to heal enough that putting my arm over my head to clothe myself wasn't the most painful part of my day.

I also went to Houston for a wedding and didn't work out or sleep well the entire time (anyone love pull out couch beds? cause I do..not!). I'm getting back on the horse!
 
Ugh - My shoulder has been dodgy for the last month or so, and it's definitely impacting my workouts. Then again, I was two weeks out of town and no gym to go to - so I had to settle for household chores and lugging heavy objects.

And I don't know anyone who likes sofa beds. They are not comfortable to sleep on OR sit on.

Welcome back :D
 
Thanks! It's great to be back. Out of the car. The tiny, tiny, rental car.... bad dreams!! lol

I've got to get my diet on track. 42 minutes of bicycling can only do so much...
Making a menu, go!
 
I'm lousy at making a menu, lol. My saving grace is that I try to only buy foods that are 'safe'. It turns out that buying a huge box of Triscuits with the thought that they should be consumed only sparingly works better on paper than in practice. In fact, my husband ended up throwing out the not-quite-empty box because they were too difficult to resist!

42 minutes of bicycling... Hope it wasn't too boring :D At least it's not a pregnant roller-skate masquerading as a rental car!
 
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