The Do You Work Out Zone

[pajama]

Originally Posted by Gemme

I found a new to me machine today!

I didn't use it but I did find it.

I was already on the elliptical and in the process of realizing that it's (the elliptical) the ONLY one of its kind in the gym and it's made for someone probably about 6 ft tall with a more, shall I say, orangutangal reach.

Read: for those that haven't met me, I have seriously short arms.

Anywho, I saw this lady on a machine that mimicked the movements of the old leg curls where you laid down on the bench on your stomach and slid your feet under the weights to lift in order to tighten the glutes and hams and such. Every place I've gone to in the past few years has said "this machine does the same thing, only safer" and it's bull-hockey. It may be safer, but it does NOT tighten like that machine did. I think that this new one just might. I'll try it next time.

My problem is that I work out better, harder, and longer when I'm on my own and now I come with my honey and sometimes Arwen. I love having them there and it's not like we all do the same thing, but with two to three of us carpooling, we have different time restrictions and, frankly, I tend to socialize more when I actually have someone to socialize with. Earth-shattering revelation, I'm sure.

So, I'm doing okay now but I'm not seeing the progress I'm used to seeing. I'm also not entirely sure I'm acclimating as fast as I'd like to too.

Without that steady progress, I find it much easier to say "Not today, honey." and "Can we just do half an hour this time?" instead of "Let's bust some balls and take some names! Hoorah!"

Notice how good I am being not to mention the whole pants fall down thing.

:innocent me:

I also agree, Jet. Have your injury checked out by a professional. You don't want to play around with your shoulder.

OMG I am WAAAAAY too uncoordinated for an eliptical machine. I've tried and tried and half the time end up hurting my knees 'cause I can't make it run smooth.

Laying on the ground with your knees bent and doing pelvic thrusts helps the gluts and hammies. I look ridiculous, and I'm sure the guys at the gym are wanting to hurl, but it works so

And funny you mention about the workout buddies. J (The Boy, my son) was saying today that he needed to go to the gym more. I go when he's in school. I told him I would change my workout time and take him, but that I work out. I don't chit chat, and I work for 45min to an hour and that he would just have to deal with it. I said "I put my earbuds in and I work it." So I totally understand when there are others around. Not to mention he works the same machines I do, and he's 6'4" and well I'm not. So I would have to be changing the machines every time, which is not condusive to the aerobic circuit I like to do.

[Jet]

I dinged this shoulder really good this time from doing upright rows with heavy weights. I'm mentioning this as a caution for anybody doing exercises with weights. I stretched and warmed up too. I'm really pissed about this because I've starting making gains with P90x. Now another delay.
*shakes head* You wouldn't believe how many excerises engages the shoulders. Almost all of them.

[shadows papa]

Today was upper body and abs at the gym. Did a 20 minute warmup run on the treadmill,worked shoulders,arms,upper and mid-back,chest and abs,then a 20 minute cooldown run. It's a great stress reliever. After the 25 mile bike ride this coming Saturday and the mountain bike race in October,it looks like I'll be able to afford a couple of days a week in the pool for lap swimming after my next clinical which ends in mid-November. Now it's off to bed and trying to increase my sleep by an hour. Maybe it'll increase my brain power!

[EnderD_503]

My own workouts are going pretty well. I'm right on track as far as all my goals for Jan. 1 are concerned. Still got my routine split up into 5 days a week with some new tweaks here and there. Monday - isolating Hamstrings/Glutes, Tuesday - Back/Chest, Wednesday - Legs, Thursday - Shoulders, Friday - Biceps/Triceps

As far as cardio, I'm doing 4 days a week lately, doing a lot of skipping and rowing since I still can't do treadmill sprints like I used to with the knee. I'm really liking the rowing though, and hope to make my 10,000 metre goal in 15 mins soon. Hopefully I'll be able to go back to practice soon...I thought I was gonna be able to go back a month ago, but the damned knee still bugs me.

Originally Posted by Jet

I dinged this shoulder really good this time from doing upright rows with heavy weights. I'm mentioning this as a caution for anybody doing exercises with weights. I stretched and warmed up too. I'm really pissed about this because I've starting making gains with P90x. Now another delay.
*shakes head* You wouldn't believe how many excerises engages the shoulders. Almost all of them.

Just noticed this now. It is possible that stretching may have been your problem, Jet. How long did you hold the stretch? Generally, holding a stretch more than 10 seconds before working out (talking about strength training here) is a bad idea. It elongates the muscle (especially with a 20 - 40 second hold) and if you're into serious lifting, a more compact muscle is less prone to injury than an elongated muscle.

The best warm-up for strength training is either a dynamic warm-up or a warm-up doing precisely what it is you're going to be working on that day. F.ex. if you're on a shoulder day then doing 1 or 2 sets of 10-12 reps with 50-60 % or your 1 rep max. If you're doing squats then squat etc. Makes you much less prone to injury. Unless I'm feeling especially tight I skip even a 10 second hold, then follow up my workout with stretching and foam rollers afterward.

And yeah, totally get ya on the "can't believe how many exercises involve this muscle" thing. When I screwed up my knee in a match this summer I nearly had to stop working out altogether for a few weeks. My knee was somehow engaged in 70% of every exercise. Same when I managed to tweak my mid trap doing jump squat pullups a month or so back...tried to carry on with at least the chest component of my workout and couldn't even lie down properly for a bench press lol Of course the jump squat pull-ups were my warm-up, which meant that whole workout was botched lol