Fitness/Weightloss 2013

[Sheherezade]

I can do burpees -- but the prospect of 100 pull ups has me shaking. I'm not a fan of pull ups. At the gym, I usually go for the assisted pull up machine if I plan to do anything more than 5!

[diggitydot]

I can't do a single pull-up unassisted, but I'm get closer to doing one without help.

[BonBon]

Some day when I get around to getting a bar, I'm going to try this guy's method. You start at the top of a pull-up (getting there with a chair or whatever), hold it for as long as you can and work on lowering yourself. http://www.alkavadlo.com/2010/09/16/...-do-a-pull-up/ I have never in my life been able to do a pull-up. Or a split. The split I'm working on now. :/

[spotty_dog]

At my peak of fitness I was down to about 30-40 pounds of counterweight on the assisted pullup machine. I was so bummed that my new gym doesn't have one!

Stumptuous.com recommends that method too to train pull-ups, but I tried it at the gym this week and couldn't get past the way my shirt rode up and revealed my wrinkly stretch mark belly. >.< I'm sticking with lat pull-downs for now, and I'm also intrigued by this article: http://www.stumptuous.com/pulling-wi...r-no-tech-pull

[diggitydot]

I stack a plyo box under the bar and jump/pull. Seems to be working, so far.

[Mrs. MD, Esq.]

Collapsed at yoga on tues. :-/

DH has been cooking this week since I've been working a temp job with long hours and he adds like half the salt that I do to food. Since I'm prone to very low blood pressure, THAT wasn't good. Added a buttload of salt to my lunch yesterday and had no problems with fainting or vertigo thank god (and Wednesday is the hard class). My muscles are also feeling so much stronger!

I was looking at my arms this morning and, even though they have a way to go, they look so much more shapely. Yay!

[BonBon]

Oh my goodness, that's rather scary!!

SpottyDog - maybe it was that site that I read about crawling? But since I read it I've been trying to do it and feeling like a TOTAL ass. It *is* helping with my knee though!! (It hurts to put pressure on it, and feels like the patella might snap. Yay.)

[BonBon]

Thankfully my job no longer entails cheerleading.

I'm actually rather surprised it doesn't.

[HouseofWool]

Oh my goodness, that's rather scary!!

SpottyDog - maybe it was that site that I read about crawling? But since I read it I've been trying to do it and feeling like a TOTAL ass. It *is* helping with my knee though!! (It hurts to put pressure on it, and feels like the patella might snap. Yay.)

What's this about crawling?

[spotty_dog]

What's this about crawling?

I linked an article a few posts up about training the same muscles as the pull-up, but by pulling yourself *across* the floor instead. http://www.stumptuous.com/pulling-wi...r-no-tech-pull

[HouseofWool]

Those look great. I'm pretty sure the drapes will need to be closed because I can't even imagine what the neighbors would think of that!

[spotty_dog]

Those look great. I'm pretty sure the drapes will need to be closed because I can't even imagine what the neighbors would think of that!

Right? LOL. But I think I'm totally trying it later today.

[HouseofWool]

Me too! It should be interesting. I am really struggling to find a workout routine that keeps me interest. I hate running, but like the results. However, the treadmill I have is super crappy, yet running outdoors is only an option when the kids aren't here. I have a stationary recumbent bike, but it is hard to get a truly elevated HR. I LOVE yoga and have found some good videos on you tube (exactly in my price range!). I want to add in some cross fit type stuff without investing in more equipment and a pull up bar is not happening. Ever.

What I need to do is see if I can find a used spinning bike and sell my recumbent. My BIL has one of those trainer things for his bike to turn it into a stationary trainer, but again, that is more equipment...

[spotty_dog]

My favorite fitness author posted this youtube video of her doing a totally random and hilarious workout at a park: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KP15NghW_fY

It involves bunny-rabbit-hops up hill, jumping jacks, carrying a rock up a hill, rolling down a hill...it's pretty funny, but watching her (and knowing that she is CRAZY fit but still suffering visibly) it is clearly an awesome workout! It made me realize that random crazy stuff can keep things interesting AND get the job done. After watching that I did a bunch of proto-squats (the first couple of steps from http://www.stumptuous.com/lurn-to-squat-good-e-zy) and inclined push-ups on the coffee table (I didn't realize that raising your upper body makes it easier to do a push-up but it really does) and a few burpees and situps...it was fun!

Does your recumbent have variable resistance? I can get my blood pumping on the one at the gym if I do one of the pre-programmed workouts with random resistance, and school myself to keep the rpms above 80-90 regardless. But spinning bikes and spinning routines, especially clipped-in so you use different muscles at different parts of the pedal stroke, are definitely better for elevating the ol' HR.

[HouseofWool]

I do have variable resistance with a few built in programs on the bike; I find that it exacerbates knee pain and that it is really hard to keep the RPM up, not because I'm not strong enough, but just the biomechanics of it.