Muscle Loss and Age

[dias]

Aside from the fact that I personally love long hair on women(the longer the better) I think that long hair makes you look younger. Now there are some women who look better with sort hair but these are the exception.

 

Does it touch your shoulders at least? Shoulders are the line/lowest limit. (and not so long to make grooming a problem)

[Jibralta]

Nope, well above!!

[dias]

That's hair profanation!

[Jibralta]

That's hair profanation!

 

Guilty!!!!

[Jibralta]

Still tentative on this workout, but slowly getting better. It's tough to find a balance between exertion and agitation. I have to be careful because I don't always know right away when I injure myself, as evidenced on Monday. Doing these exercises, I've noticed that there is also pain in my latissimus dorsi and triceps, both on my left side.

 

Bodyweight Only Upper Body Workout - Killer Arms, Shoulders, and Upper Back (23 minutes, including warm up and cool down)

Hover Push-up - Very modified. Did manage to get a good burn.

Supine Push-up - I tried lowered my elbows more to my sides, moved them around a little. Assisted with abs. Still figuring out best approach.

Pike Push-Up - Very modified. Managed to get a good burn.

Push-Up Walk-Out - Used ab roller. Worked better today. Turned out I was using it backwards yesterday!

 

It is frustrating going this slow, but it's necessary.

[Jibralta]

Still trying to work out a balance between muscle exertion and stress on my shoulder and neck. Until I do that, it will be difficult to track progress. For each exercise, I am sort of blindly pushing in various directions to explore my limits. I feel stupid going so slow, but I do think this is the right approach. I'd feel a lot better if I got my heart rate going. But the point is to build the muscles on a good foundation, not on top of a pre-existing injury. So, I need to go slow and concentrate.

 

I didn't feel much DOMS today. Maybe just a tiny bit. Now that I've worked out today, I feel a nice warmth in my joints. Less pain today in my latissimus dorsi and triceps. May have hurt my left shoulder a bit.

 

Bodyweight Only Upper Body Workout - Killer Arms, Shoulders, and Upper Back (23 minutes, including warm up and cool down)

Hover Push-up - Very modified to modified. I back off and on as needed. When I go modified, my up-down range is less. I can get a burn doing it both ways, so I may just continue to switch back and forth.

Supine Push-up - Similar to yesterday; still figuring out best approach. I feel like with this exercise, I can hurt myself without trying because some of the required muscles in me are freakishly strong while others are quite weak.

Pike Push-Up - Still very modified. I added some pulses and holds to make it more difficult. This is where I might have hurt my shoulder. Fingers crossed.

Push-Up Walk-Out - Used ab roller.

 

Yesterday, I was talking to my boyfriend about my approach to this work out. I showed him the four exercises, and when I got to the supine push-up, he said, "Those are really hard." That got me thinking, because the Fitness Blender guy seems to think the same thing. But I do not think that these are hard and never have. That's when I remembered about my freakish strength in some areas. Take, for example, the relay race my karate class ran when I was in college: for one of the legs, we had to partner with another person, stand back to back, link arms, and run like that. My partner was a girl about the same size as me, and when she wasn't running fast enough, I literally hoisted her up and ran with her on my back. In the middle of running, I slipped and fell to my knees but was able to get up--with her still on my back, arms still linked together behind us--and win the leg. Well, actually I was disqualified for doing that, but I still finished first.

 

Anyway, even though I have a lot of strength in this area, there is clearly a problem with some of my stabilizer muscles. Or something.

[Jibralta]

Today I did the 10 Minute No Equipment Upper Body Workout but I added light weights. Then I did the Tank Top Arms Workout with light weights. It was about 20 minutes total. I discovered something interesting: If I cause my muscles to shake while I go through the motions, it gives me a good burn. Even the lame-o Palm Presses had me fatigued when I did them that way. I can twitch pretty fast.

 

I am trying a new approach by not setting and competing against a metric and just concentrating on the exercise.

[Jibralta]

Now that I've reached the point of lifting weights again, I've departed from my dear Fitness Blender. Their workouts are good, but I need something more heavy-duty. The Bodybuilding YouTube channel has a lot of good technique videos, but (besides a few hand weights) I don't have any gym equipment in my apartment and I don't want to go to the gym. So, I'm looking for ways to adapt.

 

I'd like to spend some quality time on strengthening my shoulders. I have this spot on my clavicle that's very prone to strain and I'd like to strengthen it out of the equation. So that will be my focus for a while. That, and building up my push ups. I'd also like to invest in a pull up bar somewhere along the line.

 

I found a Wing Chun studio near my office. That is my favorite style of martial arts, next to Eskrima (the two go hand in hand, really). Problem is, they only have one class, on Tuesdays, when I am not in the office. Boo.

 

I am TOTALLY sucking at my diet these days. Going in reverse, really. Uggh.

[dias]

Can you do pull ups? That is impressive for a girl.

[Jibralta]

Once upon a time, I could. But not anymore.

 

However, doing pull-ups is one of my goals.

[Jibralta]

Thought this was an interesting video, even though he kinda loses me at the end. I am starting to focus my workouts around calisthenics. When I was a kid, I'd practice calisthenic exercises for hours in the evenings. It was calming, almost like yoga. I got really strong in a lot of ways. I could stand on my head forever. I could cross back and forth on the monkey bars infinitely, pull my legs up through my arms, hook them over the bar, then swing and flip, swing and flip, swing and flip. I'm looking at these calisthenics videos now, thinking, "Maybe I can so that...." Everyone's an acrobat, though, and I really CAN'T do most of what they are doing without killing myself (I hope I remember that!!). I am no longer flexible or resilient enough. But I can still use the unattainable end results to visualize, which is very useful.

 

I'm going to schedule a body composition scan for myself. They're pretty cheap, about $200 for two scans. I'm interested to see what I'm made of now, and how I change with exercise...

 

[video=youtube;lrF8DsWkNYE] ]

[dias]

You cannot build serious muscle with calisthenics but you can get an amazing definition which can't be obtained with weight lifting. I think calisthenics are great for women. Women doing calisthenics are/look fit and still keep their femininity.

 

 

[Jibralta]

I do feel like I need to continue with weights, especially for weaker areas, like my shoulders. So I am still picking them up after work.

 

Thanks for the link!

[RainyCoast]

Jibs! how's it coming along?

 

one of these days i'll want to drop by to pick up a tip or two,

 

but just felt like putting things in perspective today

[Jibralta]

I alternate between two steps forward and one step back, and one step forward and two steps back. lol.

 

Metallica spells Cthulhu different:

 

[video=youtube;sWGOEWdV13M] ]

[Doc Blaze]

This is my motivation. It is kind of corny lol but i take my pre work out, put this on and start lifting

my body size is very similar to the guy in the video. I am about 6;2 240 right now.

This video also helped me get off my ass off my break up and just start doing something

 

[video=youtube;ZHMPaWOgJQM]

[Jibralta]

He makes some good points! Especially about happiness and failure.

[RainyCoast]

I alternate between two steps forward and one step back, and one step forward and two steps back. lol.

that's me too. i finally intensified mine yesterday, and decided to stick with the new format. maybe lord ktulu is put off by lean protein.

[Jibralta]

So, I went ahead with my body composition scan. It was really cool--and relatively cheap at $113!

 

I got a black and white digital image of my bones and muscles, and another of my soft tissue (looks a little like a marshmallow). I also got a report that broke down total mass, tissue mass, fat mass, lean mass, fat-free mass, and BMC by body region (arms, legs, and trunk, as well as android (waist) and gynoid (hips).

 

I am a bit fatter than I thought! My fat is distributed almost exactly evenly between the android and gynoid regions, which is not surprising as I am an hourglass. I am told that I should have more gynoid fat and be a pear. It's healthier. Well, what the hell can I do about that? Oh well.

 

After the scan, I spoke to a clinician, who patiently explained what the results meant and gave me some very simple, straightforward facts about exercise. Then he invited me to call him the next day to discuss an example of a basic exercise program. He was so friendly and helpful that I felt like he was going to try to get me to buy something or join a cult. I can't help the paranoia; I'm from New Jersey.

 

Anyway, I'm going to outline what I learned here, for my own future reference, and in case anyone is interested in hearing it:

 

Diet = decrease size. Body fat stays the same.

Resistance Training = change shape. Body fat stays the same.

Cardio = less fat, less lean mass.

 

Cardio is best measured through heart rate. Just a little discomfort is enough to make a difference.

 

Sets x Reps x Weight = Total Work

4 sets x 10 reps x 10 lbs = 2 sets x 10 reps x 20 lbs

 

Eight week program format:

Begin with 4 - 5 exercises per day

4 days per week

Split upper body and lower body

Weight should be uncomfortable but doable

 

2 weeks endurance and toning (2 sets 15 reps)

2 weeks strength (3 sets 10 reps)

2 weeks endurance and toning (2 sets 20 reps)

1 week strength (4 sets 10 reps)

1 week reset (1 set 20 OR 3 sets of 5 with dramatically increased weight)

 

Flex muscle during lift or get no definition (I thought that was funny. All I have is definition. That's why I didn't realize I was fat--my fat has definition! So I guess I flex ok naturally. I'm probably flexing right now and just don't realize it)

 

I like how straight forward and simple this plan is. At some point, I'm supposed to increase to 6 - 8 exercises per day, and I'm guessing my sets and reps will similarly increase. But we didn't discuss that. He said to keep track of my exercise during the next four weeks, then to call him and let him know how it went. I can't understand why this is free. Am I unwittingly participating in some sort of study??

 

I've been doing a push-up program for the last two weeks or so, and just added a pull-up element to it (I can't actually do these things yet (at least not well), but I am trying). I'm going to continue on my current course and add this new 8-week program on top of it.

[Jibralta]

This past weekend, my boyfriend and my stepfather helped me move a filing cabinet and two shelves out of my mom's basement. My boyfriend was TOTALLY winded after hoisting the filing cabinet up a couple of steps. The cabinet was very heavy, but my 70-year old stepfather was not nearly as out of breath as my boyfriend.

 

Later, I helped him carry the shelves up. I barely broke a sweat, but my boyfriend needed to take a break.

 

It makes me very concerned about my boyfriend. He was in great shape a year ago. He's definitely packed on some pounds this year, but he's not much more than 20 lbs overweight. How did he get so out of shape so fast?

 

Another thing, he gets clammy when he exerts himself. Is that normal for some people?

[Jibralta]

[video=youtube;10lV5Y-eKQY] ]

[Jibralta]

Well, I haven't been doing the program that the clinician recommended. I'd like to, but I'm just dragging, somehow.

 

I have been faithfully executing my push-up/ monkey bar/ pull-up program, however. Until this week, I was making steady progress with the push-ups. But these past few days, I haven't made any progress and was actually exhausted repeating the routine that I easily completed last week.

 

I honestly think this sluggery/exhaustion is due to the fact that I've been o.d.ing on Monster energy drinks. Once upon a time, they gave me energy. Now I'm just compulsively drinking six per day (sugar free) and feeling like a slug. I am clearly addicted to sugar alcohols. I will address this, but AFTER vacation!!

 

In the mean time, I just may have to find a middle ground for my push-up modification surface. I've gone from 35.5" off the ground to 26.75" off the ground, and this week, I couldn't do more than 7 modified push ups at a time on the 26.75" surface. I had to complete all three sets on the 35.5" surface. But as I typed this, I located a 29.5" desk that I can use. I'll try that tomorrow.

 

I am making headway with the monkey bars. I can now swing from one end of the bars to the other. It's not terribly far, maybe 4 - 5 swings, skipping bars. I go one way, rest, then go the other. I've progressed faster than I expected. The first couple of weeks, I let my feet touch the ground a bit. But I no longer need to do that. I'm always surprised at how quickly strength and endurance increase. I no longer feel strain in my elbows or shoulders. But I do need to rest after I complete one way. Now I know why my dad was so proud of me when I was a kid: this sht is HARD to do as an adult!

 

On alternate days, I try to do modified pull-ups, but it's hard to find a good bar around here. Right now, I can't tell if I'm making progress.

 

One thing is for certain, and that is that I am building muscle mass in my arms and shoulders.

 

In September, I plan to start horseback riding again. That is great exercise for the lower body and core. And that's why I don't waste too much time on lunges and squats in general. When I ride regularly, I can do unlimited squats and lunges.

[Jibralta]

Here is a picture of me imitating Slash from Guns n Roses. It was taken on Sunday. I cut my head off because I looked a little too much like Slash for my comfort.

 

Excuse the mess on the floor. I was wrapping a gift and avoiding household chores.

 

I'm using this picture as a baseline for my progress. Not sure how often I'll be updating the photo log (especially if I don't make progress!), but in case things go well, here it is.

 

]

[dias]

You could start a separate fitness log in the journal section. There is one website I have found where you can keep a workout log if that helps you.

[Jibralta]

Thanks, I will keep that one in mind!