When you need a friend

After whining about tracking my food and not being able to eat everything in sight covered with cheese and washed down with wine, I realized that I needed a friend. This may not come through on this blog, but I can be very charming in person, compelling even. So, real-life friends and family are more likely to be led astray down the path of debauchery with me than I am to be positively influenced by someone in person. Thank-God for the Internet!

Who is more disciplined than all-natural figure competitors? No fucking body, that's who. My lifestyle change is a gorged vacation compared to the strict lifestyle of women who sculpt their bodies to perfection as a career. After a quick Google search, Kari of Figure Girl World entered mine. It is the end of my fourth week tracking calories, macros and all that stuff and just as I was becoming dejected at no change in my weight and minimal change in measurements, her blog sucked me in.

This woman goes through 20 weeks of intense diet and exercise on a regular basis, keto (which is basically no carbs at all), never drinks alcohol, gets up at 3am sometimes to do fasted cardio and has 2 dogs and 2 cats to deal with. Seriously, one of my cats is awkwardly trying to get comfortable on my lap right now. Don't get me started on the dog.

I went all the way back to the beginning of the blog and it is like a novel, ups, downs, carb-craving, workout fatigue and inspirational pictures. Kari pushed me through this tough week. I cannot recommend this blog enough if you are out there, like me, feeling self-pity that you cannot indulge yourself recklessly (like most of us Americans) and also have the same level of health and fitness desired. Now I have to go, the dog is yipping ;-)

Squat and deadlift goals met.

Last night I squatted 4x4x95- finally using some decent sized plates! This has been my goal since starting to lift and when I was stuck at 65 for what felt like forever it was depressing. Trying to do 3x5xweight with perfect form got me hung up on details, so I loosened up the programming a bit, allowing myself to do fewer reps when I increased weight while also paying attention to form. This allowed me to go up. As long as I take care of recovery this weight should be possible for 3x5x95 on Friday. Topped out deadlifts at 2x2x150, planning for 2 sets of three on Friday.
Tonight is Spinning, increased cardio to shed some fat. The cardio goal is four times a week and I'm flirting with the idea to learn Zumba. People love it, but I've found the classes to feel like an audition for a Broadway show, an audition that I fail miserably. Too bad there are mirrors all over the walls at the class, that is probably a big part of the problem. Also I heard a rumor that there are adult climbing wall classes, now that is interesting.

So, this week tonight Spinning, tomorrow light squats, overhead press, power cleans, Thurs off, Friday Spinning to warm-up and heavy lifting.
ETA: I just called the gym and the adult climb is at the exact time I can't go. Damn.

Update: Zumba class one is completed. It was a pretty fun if goofy way to move around and get sweaty. Definitely not as much of a workout as Spinning and nowhere close to lifting with barbells, but a good switch from the bike. It is possible that Zumba will become a better workout as I start to have a clue what is going on and can emphasize the movements more. Tonight was about trying to follow along and try not to run into anyone. I will keep going.

Back from hiking

Chattanooga was great. The leaves were beautiful and it was refreshingly cool in the evenings. The trails were oddly unmarked which led to a more adventurous hike then the terrain normally would have, I'm spoiled by Western NY trails that even give mileage markers. Tami, my staunchly conservative sister and I, the arty right-brained one, managed to see the sights and wander around the woods without strangling each other in spite of a few tense moments. We went on a cavern tour which was surprisingly gorgeous, the guide was funny and the waterfall inside the mountain was breathtaking. I'm a sucker for a good waterfall. Rock City was strenuous enough for me to find it a good time, and bizarro at the end. How to even describe this? Inside a big cave, plastered with coral, some wealthy and evidently also insane German woman had hundreds of gnomes shipped over from Germany in the 30s and placed them in odd tableaus here and there. Then, as if that isn't odd enough, you get to Fairy-tale land. Not Disney fairy tales, Grimm.

It is claimed that kids are delighted by this. We didn't have any with us (thank God) but it was creepy as hell in my opinion.
Finished the first workout after vacation, it was not a session I looked forward to but I feel so good now. Squats are still a work in progress, 75 lbs and shaky legs. Bench press was ok, 70 lbs and felt good, deadlifts were the best, 2 warmup sets then a full five rep set of 135. I added two sets of back extensions and lat pulldowns at 90 lbs. I'm pretty beat right now. The plan is to continue training until the January ski trip, when I'll be gone for two weeks. I may be able to train at my cousin's gym during that time too.

Bad morning turned into great workout

Lying in bed, getting up and ready for the Treadmill Interval class was not appealing. I remembered that the gym was considering canceling it and got up and ready anyway, rushing, knowing I was late. On arrival, every treadmill was taken- Damn! So I went downstairs and took a minute to regroup, and decided to lift. In case it isn't obvious, I dress for the occasion, and running with a group of women is a completely different occasion from lifting with mostly guys. For running, not only are the shoes completely the opposite of lifting shoes, so are the clothes. Instead of being comfortably covered in a soft, sweat-absorbing tee and yoga pants I was wearing running shorts and a couple of sports bras. But oh well, time to suck it up and lift.
This wasn't the most comfy I've been, and the check-out looks were distracting, as well as the conversations started by guys who usually smile and nod then go about their business. It really is all about the skin showing I guess. I got a good workout in, squat 70 lbs, bench 65, deadlift 135. Yes- 135 lbs! Personal record there and met my goal for this month.

So freaking close!

Being a delicate flower, checking out my weight regularly does too much to my mood for the day so there was a need to keep an eye on progress in a less emotionally loaded way. Thus the 'fit shorts'. Three months ago I came across a forgotten pair of Old Navy shorts in a drawer, the kind one wears to wash the car or run to the grocery store, nothing great. As my plans for that moment were nothing great, I pulled them on. Tugged them on actually and to my horror once they were up, strangling my thighs and ass, the button and buttonhole were a good three inches away from each other. That is when this blog changed it's focus from marketing and consumer stuff to fat.
Its been three months, and the shorts are just shy of fitting perfectly, in fact a lot of people would wear them the way they fit now but I demand total comfort from knockabout clothes so when they are loose enough they will be accepted back into rotation. I'm sure to have something else around here that is tight to become the new 'fit shorts'.
Yesterdays workout has me a bit sore and creaky, my wrists did not feel good last evening but are okay now. I hope the stress on them is causing increased strength. Some kind of cardio is in store tonight.

125 lb deadlift, big wheels here I come!

They weren't pretty but I managed 5 reps for a personal best. This will be the weight for the next dead-lift session also, I need to make sure it's all good before going heavier. 65 lb squats, still getting used to the low bar position. The whole point of going low bar is to lift heavy weights, so if it turns out it just doesn't work for me back to regular high bar I will go. Either way, I refuse to give up on squats just because they are hard and sometimes disappointing. 65 lb bench-press too, nice and solid for all three sets so next bench session going for 70, about time I get back there. I actually did ab work- a set of crunches on the Swiss ball that Rippetoe hates so much and two sets of back extensions, one before and one set after dead lifting.

Saturday procrastination

Some things are easy to do. Going to the gym, getting a pedicure, shopping, all easy. Some things I dread, and one of them, coloring my hair will not wait one more day unless I am going for 'distinguished' as a descriptor. Where the dislike of doing this comes from I'm not sure, ok it's messy and takes an hour but that includes lots of activities I engage in and some are my favorites. The last time I had it done professionally was not satisfactory, took three times as long and cost tons more, maybe keeping that in mind will help.

Lifting was a serious consideration today but the muscle soreness in my hamstrings from the Romanian deadlifts I added to the routine Thursday changed my mind, so I took a Spin class instead. Definitely adding the Romanian deads in regularly on non-deadlift days as they worked my hamstrings, next thing I need to add is ab work. Yes, I am possibly the only woman who works out regularly who avoids ab work and it is becoming an issue as in, I suspect weak abs are interfering with my squats. Blah! I'd rather do two hours of cardio every day then work abs but that won't make them any stronger.

Cleans are dangerous!

Hoisting it up, working on form and sure enough I scraped my chin with the bar. Embarrassing! It made me laugh at least, and no blood was drawn. Today was a light weight workout, lots of barbell squats ass to grass, overhead presses, the dangerous cleans and wrapped it up w/ Romanian and stiff-legged deadlifts and back extensions. Sweat was pouring off me by the end of that 'light' workout. Tomorrow is the high intensity interval training treadmill class which is a wipeout too, in a good way.

Making it up as I go along

Looks like the simple beginner's routine I picked isn't so simple after all. Turns out that it is so focused on young males that the author barely acknowledges that old people like 40 year olds may be directed to the program and we need it to be tweaked. A lot. From what I have been able to glean from the Starting Strength forums, one nugget of information at a time, people who are not 15-26 y/o guys are not supposed to be squatting three times a week, need more recovery time and women- hey, I'm one of those- may not even need to do power cleans because of weaker wrists. Ya know, a chapter gathering all the information together rather then passing mention in a sentence or two in the humongous book would have been helpful.
But, it's just the second workout after de-load week and a good time for adjustments anyway. Now the plan is to double the warm-up sets, continue lifting as heavy as possible and take two full days between lifting sessions for recovery purposes. All-righty then! In spite of this the bod has improved, definitely not masculine at all but curvier and lifted. Also, the giant breasts are under control! Seriously, this is rambumctious boobs week and I was able to get a sports bra on with no struggling or jumping up and down. That alone makes training worth it.
So today, squat, bench, deadlift and take a 3mile run/walk this evening. So happy the outdoors is bearable again!
Almost forgot, I watched Thintervention last night. That show cracks me up. One can almost hear various exercise scientists' heads exploding as Jackie Warner traipses about spouting off misinformation to her clients. To lose weight one must eat every three hours (including protein shakes!), check. Put out of shape clients through torturtous long ass workouts, check. Berate the client who only lost two pounds that week, check. Put the ladies on a 1350 calorie diet, and be surprised and disappointed that she is STARVING and cheats on it, check. Those clients don't stand a chance of keeping the weight off. I suppose being on TV is reward enough?

Update on training today: I put another 5 lbs on my deadlift (yes those itty-bitty 2.5ers) and pulled 120 for 3 good reps. This possibly could have been better but the gym was a zoo today, I may try to describe it later. One of the few trainers who knows what he is talking about and I discussed my squat and he thought the issue might be hip flexibility. After demonstrating some weightless squats for him tho, we decided it is a strength thing I need work on. Also, broke through the weak bench press because somehow I didn't get the memo that one is supposed to grip the bar tightly. Yes, duh right? That sure makes a difference! Really great training today.

Ahh Wednesday

Amazing how long the day can seem when you are keeping track of everything that into your mouth. I did get a lot done yesterday though. My upper back felt the effects of those overhead presses Monday, and last night was just weird, tossing and turning somehow hot and cold at the same time, but not sick. Maybe it's a central nervous system thing? Trying to find information or experiences of women my age who start training with relatively heavy weights and barbells is difficult. The women my age who do this all seem to have been training for years which is completely different. I want to learn about recovery times and rates of progression. Maybe this blog will help the next woman in my shoes, a former cardio addict finally getting around to training with weights and wanting to do it the most efficient way. After the discomfort of last night I am going to take this week off from lifting more seriously as suggested in The New Rules of Lifting, but with the calorie counting I am still doing cardio. Took the 6am Spin class this morning and may hit the gym again tonight. Hiking through the mountains in less then a month- I can't wait!

Cutting the fat.

Well, one could say I've got the exercise part of this down. Spinning and interval running are my cardio and I have documented a ton about lifting. Three months ago I started using this blog to share my experiences with various popular and not so popular forms of training and I have found methods that work and built in physically demanding vacations to stave off boredom; including a soon to come week of hiking in the mountains and two weeks of skiing (SKIING!!) early next year. So, great, I'm 20% of the way there. Here comes the challenging part: diet. I want the best of both worlds, lots of lean body mass burning away calories and a lot less fluff which means I just want to lose fat. This complicates things. Being a good little reader and researcher I checked to see how to do this and approximately how long it will take.

Are you ready? A woman who is close to her optimal BMI can burn one to one-half pound of fat a week, as long as she consumes enough protein and continues lifting challenging weights. (Don't feel like looking for the citation at the moment) So, here we go, I plan to lose 20 pounds of fat in 20 weeks. If it turns out I don't need to lose that much I will reassess at the time. Good thing I don't have a beauty contest coming up in the next month or so!

First, I had to figure out how much I was eating, so Sunday I wrote down everything and put it in the Fitday chart. It was a basic day, fairly healthy foods with a couple of treats thrown in. The treats were 3/4 a cup of ice cream- yes I eat it out of the measuring cup, and half of a large-ish chocolate chip cookie. 2600 calories! Yikes, and that was a no wine, no crazy filet mignon type of day. Okee-dokee. So for the next two weeks I'm dropping that down to 2000 or less (keep in mind I work-out a lot and am 5'7") and at least 100 grams or protein a day. This worked out ok yesterday.

Speaking of yesterday, this was supposed to be the start of my deload or no lifting week but after lounging around all weekend and the shock of my eating habits, towards 5pm I started getting antsy. I decided to take a Spin class, easy, cardio and Pam teaches it, she is always entertaining. However, like I said, it was just after 5 and her class doesn't start until 7:15 and I was already climbing the walls bored. There is a 6pm class but it is ridiculous (the instructor does a lot of hopping up and down on the bike, weird tricep/ pushup thingys- yes while riding the bike, and some bizarre butt off the seat- thrust into the handlebars then move the butt back again while hovering over the seat move I wish I could videotape for this. No one on The Tour behaves that way!) Which meant I arrived at the gym with just enough time to train with barbells before taking Pam's class. I'm an addict.

Squat, bench, deadlift

Took two days off from lifting ready to hit it hard today. My squat form has improved a lot, really making it down low and only getting difficult towards the end with heavy weight on the bar, 85 lbs. I threw a couple of sets of forward squats with just the bar at the beginning and end the sets with the goal to prepare for power cleans. So, squatting was all good. Then, bench press. This is the second session in a row I haven't been able to press 75 lbs for a full set, when I was able to previously. I don't get it, all my other weights have increased and this is getting worse. I even had to find a spot to avoid getting stuck under the bar. He was amazingly cute, but my disappointment at backsliding on this lift made me unable to even enjoy that. Also, it is distracting to have a good-looking guy whose name is unknown with his hands so close to my breasts. Being unable to lift a weight I previously could really sucked. There's no crying in lifting!
So, I couldn't get off that bench fast enough and set up for deadlifts, where I lifted a personal best of 115 lbs, but form was compromised so I'm going lighter next dead session and really watching form, maybe doing 115 pulls instead.

After lifting and the usual fight with the extra sports bra, I headed upstairs to the Interval Treadmill class. Damn, that was hard, and towards the end my sweat went cold- not good. Instead of pushing it I took it easy for the last two songs and after showering hit Arby's for food. Normally, fast food is unappealing, but after two hours of working hard my body needed something to stabilize it, and I gradually felt better.

Up all night= poofy tummy

So there is something to this whole 'taking care of yourself' thing. Yesterday was highly unusual, I wasn't hungry! Ok, there was a breakfast steak involved that probably had a lot to do with it, but for the rest of the day I just didn't feel like eating. That could wait until later. However, I was visiting my sister and sick niece and about 7:30 the little one took a turn for the worse. Her breathing was so heavy, fast and labored. It was the way one breathes after a particularly hard sprint interval- but did not get better. My sister and I agreed she needed to go to the hospital. Ahh the hospital. It is a good one and they saw us right away, but even with attentive care we were there until 12:30am. The important thing is we left with a little girl who was breathing clearly.

The unimportant thing was that I did not eat or drink anything after the big breakfast for the rest of the day, which ironically resulted in a huge bloated belly. Sometimes I think winning the body game is impossible- Hello! No food and my belly is BIGGER!?!? Anyway, after a couple of bottles of water and 4 oz of ham- half pita I felt more normal and after a while went to bed.

Now, today I am scheduled to train, squat, bench, dead. I hope this won't be a wasted workout. Edited to addGood workout, Squatted 80 lbs on my last set and held form. Deadlifted 100 lbs for a full set. After that my right shoulder blade was feeling a little wonky so I pulled back on bench press weight to 65 lbs, can't have everything and I read (or skimmed) Rippetoe's in-depth analysis on deadlifts. According to him, one's lats esp near the shoulderblades are used hardcore on the deadlift so it makes sense I would feel it there after working the deads harder then usual. Also, today they were real deads, not pulls.

Okay Google adsense, what's the deal?

So, for some reason Google suspended my payments. I go to the page and it tells me to verify my phone number by clicking a link and submitting the code. Ok, the phone rings and the automated voice gives me a code which I type in- and says it again which I check the second time. Google denies the code. Huh?? Then tells me I've exceeded the amount of tries. This, my friends, is highly annoying when they should have sent me a check well before now.

Onto something else; training. Today I went to the 6am Spin class, and to be honest when I'm using Spin as a warm-up I really don't give it my all but doing both cardio and lifting in the same gym visit is so much more convienient then splitting it into two visits. Hopefully by next month it will be cool enough in the evenings to run outside, or speed-walk. Today was squat, bench, dead day. I squatted 75lbs- very low and good form, and was proud of myself but when it came to bench press I stalled out on 75 and couldn't even get one full set of 5 reps in. Disappointing! However- I pulled 100lbs on the deadlift substitute. 100 lbs whoo-hoo!

After showering and driving home tho I was starving, feeding frenzy bigtime! Charles made spaghetti the other day so I plowed into those leftovers and sauteed the remains of a bag of spinach in some canola oil and finished off w 3/4 of a cup of Breyers Rocky Road. Here's to all those carbs, fats and proteins making me stronger!

Labor Day lobsters; yum!

Enjoyed a totally decadent dinner of big steamed lobsters last night, slept in as late as I wanted to this morning (afternoon?) and have just returned from training. That is a good weekend so far. Today, squatted 75lbs, form did suffer at the end, military press with the real bar- yay! That is 45 lbs up over my head, and barbell rows did make one set at 75. Increases all around, so going to stay here for a week or so until I can handle all of them with perfect form at the weight. Cat insisting on sitting on my lap, so will add more later.

Endorphins!

Insomnia has been stalking me lately- but I laugh in it's face and just rearrange my schedule- Ha Ha! Being up before the alarm has its advantages, making it to three 6am Spin classes is one (three?) of them. Since Spinning had become relatively easy for me, I decided to treat it as the warm-up before lifting. This time, I brought an extra T-shirt for modesty. The early cardio shook the cobwebs out of my sleep-deprived mind and got the blood flowing enough for a solid finish to my first week of lifting on the Starting Strength program.

Today was squats, bench, dead. Squats are solid at 65 lbs, all the reps on the program are 5 rep sets after a warm-up set or two. Bench was also 65, and deads/ pulls are 95- going for 100 or more next week. I can't wait to have all three at 135- that's the big girl plates. However, I will wait, or take my time at least as being smart with progression will avoid injuries caused by pushing too fast. The exercise high afterward is a great surprise when it comes too.

Fashion! Remember me scoffing at the six item only clothing diet? Well Jean Chatsky the money gal from the Today show did it for the past 60 days, and guess what? She did tons of laundry. I get wanting to slow one's consumption down, as a person who regularly goes thru her closet to purge, I see exactly what I wasted money on on a regular basis. That said, doing that much laundry wastes resources too, especially when one already has a closet stocked with more then six items. A buying freeze for a year or at least a season makes a lot more sense to me. Shopping is therapy though, so here are six items on my fantasy Amazon shopping trip. What are yours?

Nipple disaster!!

After having a fun yet sweaty Spin class, and in spite of wearing two thick-ish sports bras, the mirrored walls of the weight room showed my beams on high. Damn I hate that. It's one thing to be the only woman using barbells to workout but that was just unnecessary. Then, the plates left a rusty mark across the white sports top, adding insult to injury. I did, however, train anyway.

So, performed squats first per the program- and am getting better at them! My feet weren't turned out as much as suggested and doing that helped me get into a lower position and helped my balance too. It may also be that I am getting better at them in general. Then, standing military presses and I won't lie, I used the little 35 lb bar. I am bold, but falling backwards or dropping the bar while having boob issues was to much to think about, and it was the first time attempting them. Got four sets of those in and should be able to use the regular barbell next time.

Finished it off with barbell rows; enjoyable for the hard-core look of them- I'm probably ready to go heavier on those next time too. So in spite of appearing a mess it was a good session. Tomorrow is off day for lifting, deciding on Spin or Interval Training class, hell maybe I'll do both. In totally unrelated but awesome news- got the package pamphlet from the little ski place I'm visiting this winter. Whoo-hoo! The season pass is teasing, but I'll be practical and go for the ten-day pass with four group lessons included. I cannot freakin wait!

Nothing is happening! Oh yes it is.

Hey, well I know there are physical differences being brought about by consistent training but some people who know what I am doing are unimpressed by my progress. If the gadget on the infomercial caused those ladies to lose 10 pounds and 12 inches in one week why don't I get one of those instead of all this weightlifting and cardio. First of all, that infomercial is bullshit. Secondly, this. Stuff is happening, more dramatic stuff then the less fat arms and more pronounced collarbone, not that both of those things aren't awesome. So don't worry about me, I'm having a blast and getting truly healthier by the day. I love that Advanced Spin Class is now what my 'easy' work-out day consists of :-)
Back to the weights next week and the new program is going to consist of three major compound lifts (four or five sets) per session. That squat rack better be ready.

4am blog post

Sleeping through the night seemed like a strong possibility earlier but it didn't happen. It is raining alot which is nice (being inside and all) and the little cat is sleeping on the floor here keeping me company. Deload week has started! I didn't work out at all this past weekend, and in the boot-camp class today, instead of being pleasantly rested and stronger then ever, I was dragging. That is okay tho, gave it the best I had. Progressing to real push-ups is on the list, today one of the class members had her gym bag on the floor in such a way that I didn't have room to stretch out fully to even try to full-length push-ups, and when I relocated to where there was space we were done by the time I started. She is such a sour-puss too, ugh. So that class begins with 12 high intensity intervals interspersed by explosive movements and push-ups, and the second half is circuit training. My quads were shot out after the first half and I suspect running on an incline is to blame but hopefully they are recovering to be stronger.
In my quest for uninterupted sleep, I put cat-food in each bowl right before going to bed (the first time). Just before I began writing this Spooky stretched and wandered out of the room. How much do I want to bet that he is currently eating all of that food and both cats are going to wake me up at 5am to feed them again anyway?

Week Four

Starting the last week in my first cycle of lifting like a guy. So far, absolutely no bulky muscles. My arms have leaned out a bit, still bigger then I would like but the roundness to them is gone which is good. Posture is better, and my legs, which had some weird sagginess happening above my knees, are back to looking normal and toned. My lower back is stronger too, now I can Spin with perfect form throughout the whole class- meaning all legs no hips bouncing. It's hard to explain if you haven't done it. Also, I ran an interval at 8 miles per hour Saturday in the Ultimate Fitness class- personal best!

I'm looking forward to the deload week. That is very little lifting, just the weights in the Ultimate Challenge class, and lots of cardio. Then I'm going to pick a different program of lifting, so far it is between Rippetoes Starting Strength or the one laid out in the New Rules of Lifting. I have two weeks to decide on that. This week I am focusing on improving my form on bench presses and squats with the goal of a 95 lb deadlift to top off the week.