Diary of MNexercisegirl

Hi! I was going through ur journal & i love ur attiotude towards weights!

I did it for the first time yesterday & it was pure torture. It seemed like 1 set/15 counts lasted a lifetime!!!! my muscles were screaming for mercy!!

I hope it gets better as i go along.
i'm also planning to take up swimming.

I wish i can say running after my daughter is an alternate form of exercise!!!!:)
 
rashmi said:
Hi! I was going through ur journal & i love ur attiotude towards weights!

I did it for the first time yesterday & it was pure torture. It seemed like 1 set/15 counts lasted a lifetime!!!! my muscles were screaming for mercy!!

I hope it gets better as i go along.
i'm also planning to take up swimming.

I wish i can say running after my daughter is an alternate form of exercise!!!!:)
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Don't worry, the weights will get better and you'll learn to love them. Trust me! Gosh, I wish I could swim. One of my goals this year was to learn how to swim so that I could do a mini triathelon, but between playing volleyball and getting to the gym, I just don't have time to get a lesson in. Good luck and keep up the attitude!
 
I just got home and I have to post because it's been bugging me. I had a great night up until after volleyball when we headed over to a friend's house around 830pm. Yeah it was late and usually we're all asleep by then. I got there, and I was hungry. There was absolutely no healthy food, at all. McDonald's fish fillet, KFC. The only thing that was remotely healthy was baked mussels, but they had put on mayo and bread crumbs. Well I was hungry and ended up eating a fillet o fish and did some mindless munching on the KFC and candy. Ugh, not a good night at all. Now it's 3am and I should be sleeping. No spinning class in the morning so I'll have to settle for some HIIT instead. No more nights like that again, otherwise my journey will get too rough and I'll have to turn back around...definitely not what I want to do. So I jsut forget what happened, not dwell and start again...
 
Don't worry too much about having given in and eaten the fast food. You're working out so much, that one moment of indulgence isn't going to mess anything up. Plus, I heart the fact that you're a volleyball player. What position do you play??
 
That happened to me in January -- we went to my brother in law's house for a birthday party, and all they had was fried food, not even salad. And I was starving.

Oh well, it happens. You just get in your saddle again and keep riding.

If I were a girl and some guy warned me about "losing my womanly shape", I think I would immediately drop the dumbbell on his foot. What a doofus!
 
I don't know how you feel about protein bars but I always keep on in my purse for situations exactly like that.:)
 
I need to start bringing my own food for parties this weekend. My weekend was not filled with very good eating. My weekends just kill everything that I've worked so hard for during the week. Well this weekend atleast. Horrible, just horrible.
 
So the weekend wasn't a total disaster. I got a session of HIIT in and I got a 2 hour nap on sunday...very much needed. Today I'm going back in with the same intensity I started with last week. I do miss my spinning classes and will have to make sure to get one in this weekend. My cycling shoes are starting to get cobwebs.

I'm going to lift afterwork today since the day's been filled with meetings. Food wise, I need to do some grocery shopping and get me some protein. I had to go to the gas station to get some hard boiled eggs for breakfast.

I bought a scale last week and my husband and kids have been getting on it everyday. I think I did for the first 2 days and then thought that looking at the scale everyday ain't gonna do me much good. I still need to get my body fat tested.
 
Took my workout home today. I started my squats without a proper warmup other than doing some full squats with my body weight and then I put on the pounds and then did them. When I started my barbell rows and bent over, the lower right side of my back got this really weird sharp pain. Now when I bend over a certain way, it hurts. I got this same weird pain when I have a rough time hitting during volleyball games. Note to self: ALWAYS WARM UP. It usually goes away the next day. Anyhow, my workout:
All reps and sets 5x5
Squats: 100 lbs
Bentover barbell row: 75 lbs
Deadlift: 70 lbs
Bench: 75 lbs (Personal Best)
Overhead Press: 15 lbs (5x3) Need to increase

After my workout I didn't feel like I did a lot of work. I mean when I first started this routine, my first couple of lift days were awesome. I sweated between sets and felt like I did some work. Now I'm feeling like I'm not doing enough. Maybe I should add some lunges or change up my squats. Is the Leg press ok to use instead of squats? I think I just need some variation or maybe keep the routine for another 3 weeks. Not sure what to do here.
 
Hey Girl,
It sounds like a good work out to me! And great idea about bringing food to parties!
 
mnexercisegirl said:
Took my workout home today. I started my squats without a proper warmup other than doing some full squats with my body weight and then I put on the pounds and then did them. When I started my barbell rows and bent over, the lower right side of my back got this really weird sharp pain. Now when I bend over a certain way, it hurts. I got this same weird pain when I have a rough time hitting during volleyball games. Note to self: ALWAYS WARM UP. It usually goes away the next day. Anyhow, my workout:
All reps and sets 5x5
Squats: 100 lbs
Bentover barbell row: 75 lbs
Deadlift: 70 lbs
Bench: 75 lbs (Personal Best)
Overhead Press: 15 lbs (5x3) Need to increase

After my workout I didn't feel like I did a lot of work. I mean when I first started this routine, my first couple of lift days were awesome. I sweated between sets and felt like I did some work. Now I'm feeling like I'm not doing enough. Maybe I should add some lunges or change up my squats. Is the Leg press ok to use instead of squats? I think I just need some variation or maybe keep the routine for another 3 weeks. Not sure what to do here.
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allow me to spread my new found knowledge :) remember your just doing the resistance for muscle maintenance, theres is no need to add more volume, make sure you are adjusting your intensity accordingly tho. as the weight gets too easy move it up.

Make sure you are truly pushing yourself and not just doing it.
 
TomO said:
I'm impressed! Way to go!
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Thanks Tom! I'm trying :)

M2M said:
Hey Girl,
It sounds like a good work out to me! And great idea about bringing food to parties!
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I know. cym always has great ideas and I love her journal. BTW, you're one hot lady! :D An inspiration!

RJAZ520 said:
allow me to spread my new found knowledge :) remember your just doing the resistance for muscle maintenance, theres is no need to add more volume, make sure you are adjusting your intensity accordingly tho. as the weight gets too easy move it up.

Make sure you are truly pushing yourself and not just doing it.
Click to expand...

I'm really trying to get to that point so I'm pushing myself. I'm going to have to get the courage to get one of teh guys in the gym to spot me the next time I want to increase my weights with the Bench Press and squats. Thanks for teh advice!
 
I don't know if this'll help or not but I usually do a little "perceived exertion test" session when starting a new weights routine. Say if I'm planning on doing a military press at 5x5, I'll start with a really (for me) heavy weight and rate accordingly:

4. "NFW" (you gotta decipher the initals)
3. lower the weight (only with a spotter)
2. lower the weight (I can do all 5 sets but the last one is going to take all I got)
1. lower the weight (I can do all 5 sets, gets harder at the end but "doable"

Then week one I start with whatever weight came in at #1 and stick with that weight until the last set feels as easy as the first set...at that point move on to #2...ideally by the time I'm near the end of the routine (6 or 8 weeks) I'm doing either #3 or #4 fairly easily. Also usually toward the middle of the routine I get where I can start out the first set or two at a higher weight (#3 or #4) and progressively lower until I can only complete at the lowest.

Reading this, I'm not sure I explained it terribly well, and I have no idea if it would suit you, but I'm throwing it out because it's one of the ways I've used to keep my work-outs challenging and progressive without either getting bored or killing myself in the process.
 
cym said:
I don't know if this'll help or not but I usually do a little "perceived exertion test" session when starting a new weights routine. Say if I'm planning on doing a military press at 5x5, I'll start with a really (for me) heavy weight and rate accordingly:

4. "NFW" (you gotta decipher the initals)
3. lower the weight (only with a spotter)
2. lower the weight (I can do all 5 sets but the last one is going to take all I got)
1. lower the weight (I can do all 5 sets, gets harder at the end but "doable"

Then week one I start with whatever weight came in at #1 and stick with that weight until the last set feels as easy as the first set...at that point move on to #2...ideally by the time I'm near the end of the routine (6 or 8 weeks) I'm doing either #3 or #4 fairly easily. Also usually toward the middle of the routine I get where I can start out the first set or two at a higher weight (#3 or #4) and progressively lower until I can only complete at the lowest.

Reading this, I'm not sure I explained it terribly well, and I have no idea if it would suit you, but I'm throwing it out because it's one of the ways I've used to keep my work-outs challenging and progressive without either getting bored or killing myself in the process.
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I probably should have done this prep work prior to starting this routine. Steve did tell me to find my 1RM and go from there but I wasn't sure how to go about it, so I skipped it entirely and started out with weights I thought may be heavy and yet doable. Plus I'm usually at the gym by myself and I'm a little shy about asking someone at the gym to help me out since most are males and they tend to either keep to themselves or are in a group. That is something that I have to overcome myself. I'm going to try this on Wednesday and see if I can get a personnal trainer just to help me with trying to find me "NFW" Weight. I love that acronym. So gonna use it from now on.:D
 
mnexercisegirl said:
I probably should have done this prep work prior to starting this routine. Steve did tell me to find my 1RM and go from there but I wasn't sure how to go about it, so I skipped it entirely and started out with weights I thought may be heavy and yet doable. Plus I'm usually at the gym by myself and I'm a little shy about asking someone at the gym to help me out since most are males and they tend to either keep to themselves or are in a group. That is something that I have to overcome myself. I'm going to try this on Wednesday and see if I can get a personnal trainer just to help me with trying to find me "NFW" Weight. I love that acronym. So gonna use it from now on.:D
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Yea, b/c you know us gym guys, we will surely bite your head off if you ask for a spot. :rolleyes:
 
Steve said:
Yea, b/c you know us gym guys, we will surely bite your head off if you ask for a spot. :rolleyes:
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Hey now, that's not what I meant! :( I know I can potentially make some good friends at the gym and maybe get some really great tips if I just go up to someone and ask, but it's already intimidating enough to be the only female in the weight room. I just have to get through my insecurities and just go for it. Give me some time and I'll get the courage to ask. I know it sounds dumb for me to get a personal trainer just to spot me, when I can just go to someone and just open up my mouth and speak, but until I conjure up the courage to do it, I'm just gonna settle for this...for now.
 
I was only kidding. :p

Trust me, I know it can be intimidating for a female in the average gym. I give you a lot of respect for what you are doing. You are lifting using a "real" program, most would be afraid to leave the machines.

So trust me, I am proud of you.
 
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