The getting back in shape thread

[Iris Kojiro]

Good luck to all who are trying to lose weight/gain muscle. The four years I spent at The Night Place in addition to my current job at the Medicine Hat contributed to me gaining 20ish pounds. I haven't worked at The Night Place since January, but I still haven't kicked my own butt into gear yet.

[Cazzi]

I ventured back to the gym after resting the knee i knackered a few weeks ago that was recovering before I fell on it a last week. The nice physical therapist I've been seeing gave it a different treatment to help the bruising & swelling & (touch wood) it seems to be healing ok now.
It coped quite well at the gym, but the other knee decided it was going to click & click on the treadmill! Annoying thing

Not going to overdo it at first, burned about 270 cals today, have booked an aquarobics class for tomorrow and shall hopefully build myself back up to where I was gradually; with the exception of the rowing machine which I've been advised to avoid.

[Rapscallion]

Back on the bike. Been putting on weight - not the right sort. Thirty minutes, 506 calories.

My knees are going to hate me...

Rapscallion

[crazylegs]

My instructor has changed my gym programme - I now do 2km on a cross trainer (I can't run too far/often due to my knee), 1km regular rowing, 250m rowing with only my arms (legs locked out, and all the movement with my arms)

+ Resistance workout
+ 60 push ups
+ 90 sit ups

Everything is going spiffingly well, in 9 weeks my BMI has gone up from 18.5 to 20.6 - here's to another 9 weeks of the same!

[Cat]

I have made my return to the gym after about a month's absence ( I hurt my leg )
Treadmill and some light weights

Tomorrow will be a rest day (or at least just wandering around a mall)

Wed more gym

Thurs, if weather permits, soccer.

Fri rest


I can do this

[Whiskey]

I'm going to start yoga 3-4 times a week if I ever figure out what i'm supposed to do. Since I don't have access to my gym I'm going to see about making an engineering bag. In the meantime, just to keep in my habits its going to be

Broomstick squats; Unscrew the broom end of your broom, use the stick as the bar, squat with no weight.

Incline pushups (until I can do legit pushups); use the side of the couch

Bent over rows with the kitchen table.


some other stuff i havent figured out yet. I'd like to do a pull up when I get the strength.

[Monica]

I have started to do yoga. I am also starting to walk everyday, even if it's just around my block.

[Severen13]

Just finished Week 6 of my Turbo Fire rotation and I'm back in my old size!!!! *does happy dance*

[Whiskey]

I think I'm going to cancel my gym membership. I can't afford it anymore unless some magical source of money plops in my lap. I can do incline push ups off my stairs, pull ups on my door, if I get a bench I can put it on my balcony.

People were in shape before gyms existed. My school has a gym, but I dont think you can use it unless you're in a weight training class. Maybe I'll get some kind of weighted jump rope.

I'm still not running. You cant make me

edit: I recommend this book to everyone http://brainoverbrawn.com/get-the-book/ The e-book is free (its the entire book), but if you want to be nice you can buy it on Amazon for 17$ and support the guy

Accountability:
By enlisting a partner you roughly double the odds that at least one of you is motivated, and
exponentially increase both of your chances of success. Additionally, the desire to not be
weak or whiny to a friend is motivation in and of itself. Of course you can enlist more than
one partner per activity; the number isn’t terribly important, bearing in mind that the larger
the group, the easier it becomes (for you and for others) to skip out on a day without anybody
noticing. When you skip a workout, receiving sequential “Hey, what’s the deal?” phone calls
is motivating to a point—but when you have two dozen people, the accountability becomes
diffused. Make sure your group stays small enough that it’s embarrassingly obvious when
someone doesn’t make it (and ideally gets heckled into showing up).

You all see me post about accountability. This is why

[Magpie]

Went to torture physio torture again yesterday. Got two new exercises. Fortunately I can't really do them at home yet.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Day two of the program...too hot/humid outside so I stayed in the gym. Running on the treadmill did not agree with my shins. Made it through the first minute of running but after that it hurt too much I couldn't finish the rest. I just walked faster for the next couple, then switched to the eliptical for about the second half, and back to the treadmill for the cooldown at the end.

[Cazzi]

Nice one Now it should keep getting a little easier each time

I can only do breast stroke, could never get the hang of the crawl. I had the first of a series of sessions with a physiotherapist last week who has informed me that I should avoid the breast stroke as it's not good for my joint condition
She's advised I run up & down the pool instead & take aquarobics classes; so I tried one yesterday & really enjoyed it

She's actually given me very little exercise to do at home; and a lot of recommendations to do at the gym to help with the knee problem. The rowing machine has been banned for the time being, I can use the cross trainer, the treadmill at a slower steady pace with an incline, which I was doing anyway as I found it more comfortable on the knee than a brisk walk on the flat, and has recommended I go back to using the upright bike rather than the recliner one I migrated too when I kept getting bouts of cystitis. (But if they start up again, I'm going back to the recliner!!)

Oh, & she was also horrified that I was using the leg extender machine... apparently the worst one I can use. So to replace that she wants me to use the leg press, which I do find a lot more comfortable

I think that before I come to the end of my sessions with this physio I shall make a point to ask exactly what I should avoid for a whole body workout, not just for legs. Technically it may not be in her remit to advise on the bits she's not treating, but it'll make sense if I can keep the injuries to a minimum

[Magpie]

Swimming again today (Friday too). Didn't quite make the whole half-hour, but I did manage to do 12 (if my count was correct) lengths without any real stops. I did a bit of head-up and touched the ground occasionally at each end, as I moved across the double lane so I could swim the other direction. If I did make it 12 lengths that's the length of the endurance swim I need to do to get into the swimming level that I should be entering lessons at! (Granted, I probably need to do them in front crawl, not breast stroke, but it's a start).

[BookstoreEscapee]

OK, so today after work I went to the park and did Week One of the Couch to 5K program at Cool Running. There is a podcast available on iTunes that takes you through the program, tells you when to start and stop running, plus warm up and cool down. Week one alternates 60 seconds running and 90 seconds walking (8 times).

I made it through the first running interval...by the second I had hit an incline (the park's a bit hilly) and I couldn't quite get through it. The third I was on flat ground and I got through, barely. I didn't get through the rest running but I tried. Even got a few extra minutes at the end because I didn't quite circle back to my car.

[Whiskey]

Apparently my gym charged me on the 6th and not the 5th and it bounced from my card. Motherfuckers. Now I owe them 20$ for a NSF. I can't pay them (theoretically) until the 5th. Its been a week already. I dont particularly want to go. Ugh.


My calves are still ridiculous. Nothing but muscle. Maybe I'll just squat someone cute to keep up on my routine until I can get back in the gym. Which one of you weighs around 120.